Sister Sohma
by Lilith St. James
Summary: After Kyos change Tohru starts spending more time wYuki, &they end up falling in love.Shigure finds out the truth about Tohru being allowed 2 stay wthem. How will this effect Kyo & Tohru? & what will happen 2 Tohru&Yuki when she loses her memory.[COMPELTE
1. Summer Lunch

** Author's Note ** Konnichiwa! Greetings to everyone! I would like to thank you for checking out my second Fruits Basket fanfic. The idea for this story came from a discussion with some of my friends that I have recently gotten into Fruits Basket. While it is not a Kyo x Tohru story, there is a nice sort of side story about them. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do writing it, and I'll try not to copy my other Fruits Basket story, Once Again, No Regrets 2, which is the sequel to No Regrets by Chisan1. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 1 Summer Lunch  
  
Summer came slowly that year. The spring that had shown Tohru the true form of the cat had lingered until June.  
  
Kyo lay on the roof like he did most days. He sighed as the clouds lazily drifted by. He opened his eyes to bring him out of his memory of what had happened when he had changed. Although Tohru was still friendly with him, she rarely did so alone. In fact she had been spending most of her time with that damn rat, Yuki.  
  
However, the more time that passed the less Kyo minded it.  
  
"Kyo-kun! Lunch is ready!" Tohru called out the backdoor.  
  
She turned back to the table where Yuki sat. Smiling brightly at him she said, "Let me go get the rice and we can start eating."  
  
"I'll get it Honda-san. You've already worked so hard to make us this wonderful meal."  
  
As she began to babble on that she couldn't let, and she didn't mind, Yuki stood up and went to get the rice anyway, making Tohru blush.  
  
Kyo had climbed off the roof and was entering the backdoor looking no more annoyed than usual. "What are you grinning at Rat Boy?"  
  
"Nothing you would understand you Baka Neko."  
  
Tohru looked between them, wondering if she should stop them or say something. She decided not to, because the insults came off half- heartedly.  
  
The three of them began to eat the lunch that Tohru had made. "Where's Shigure?" Kyo asked.  
  
"Yes, I haven't seen him around all day," Tohru commented.  
  
Yuki looked up from the tea he was sipping. "He went over to Ayame's about something or other. He should be back this evening."  
  
"Oh! All right. I wonder if Ayame is coming over for dinner then. I might have to go to market for more miso then," Tohru began to wonder.  
  
"I'll go with you if you like," Yuki offered with a mysterious grin that Tohru missed.  
  
"All right! Do you want to come too Kyo?"  
  
"Go out in public with that dumb rat? I'll pass."  
  
"Oh. All right then." Tohru sounded slightly hurt, but didn't press the matter.  
  
Kyo felt kind of bad, like he had hurt her feelings. "Umm... The yakizakana is really good Tohru."  
  
Tohru completely brighten up at this. "Really? It's not too salty?"  
  
"It's fine."  
  
Tohru smiled to herself, and Yuki laughed slightly to himself.  
  
"What are you laughing at Rat Boy?"  
  
"I wasn't laughing at you, Baka Neko. I just merely thought that Honda-san is quite cute today."  
  
Tohru blushed again.  
  
Kyo wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, but something didn't feel too good. He stood up. "Excuse me."  
  
"Where are you going? We're not finished eating," Yuki stated quietly.  
  
"I'm going..." Kyo paused for a moment. Where was he going? "I'm going to call Kagura. I haven't talked to her in a while." With that he left the room.  
  
Tohru and Yuki stared at each other for a moment.  
  
"Kagura? Why is he calling her? I thought he hated her!"  
  
Tohru smiled, "I think it's sweet. Maybe he's starting to have the same feelings for her that she has for him."  
  
"Or maybe he's making some evil plan."  
  
"We can only give him the benefit of the doubt."  
  
"I suppose. Would you like some help cleaning up? Then we can go to the market."  
  
"Sure! Thanks Sohma-kun."  
  
As they cleared the table Yuki thought it seemed quite strange. The two of them had been living in the same house and become such close friends, but they still called each other Honda-son and Sohma-kun. Maybe at school he could understand, but by now everyone knew the general story.  
  
He watched her as she washed the dishes, while he dried them. "Honda..." He paused a moment, considering. "Tohru-kun?"  
  
Tohru paused then turned to Yuki, "Hai Sohma-kun?"  
  
He could tell she was trying to get flustered, but her cheeks were slightly pink.  
  
"I was just thinking how silly it is. We live together, we're such close friends, and you call everyone else by their first name." He sighed, "I wouldn't mind if you, you know, called me Yuki."  
  
Tohru looked like she was going to cry, "Really Yuki-kun?" He nodded and she jumped on him to hug him. Water splashed everywhere while a puff of smoke engulfed the two.  
  
Tohru couldn't help but giggle as she picked up the small rat. "I'm sorry Yuki-kun. I'm just very happy. I thought that you didn't want me to call you Yuki."  
  
Yuki smiled at her, "I'm happy with whatever you call me."  
  
Another puff of smoke made Tohru jump to cover her eyes. "Gomen nasai!"  
  
"It's all right Tohru-kun. I'm dressed now."  
  
She smiled at him as she opened her eyes. However, along with her wonderful prince, she also saw the mess they had just made of the kitchen.  
  
"Oh no! I'm going to have to clean now before we go. You don't mind waiting, do you Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Of course not. I'll get out of your way, all right?"  
  
"Hai!"  
  
As Yuki left the kitchen he whispered to himself, "I would wait forever for you, Tohru-kun."  
  
Yuki passed by Kyo on his way upstairs. He didn't want to get into that Baka Neko's business, but he did notice that he WAS on the phone with Kagura!  
  
"I'm sorry I haven't called you in so long, but would you like to go out somewhere?" Kyo asked into the phone.  
  
Kagura thought that maybe this was a trick, but she didn't care so long as she got to spend time with her Kyo!  
  
"Of course Kyo-kun! I'll be right over!" 


	2. Something's In The Air

Chapter 2 Something's In The Air  
  
A small knock came from Yuki's door and he looked up from the book he was reading, "Come in."  
  
Tohru slid the door open, "I'm not bothering you, am I?"  
  
Yuki smiled, "Of course not. In fact I thought you would be done soon anyway. Shall we go to the market now?"  
  
"Yeah, let me go and grab my list quick. Do you think Shigure needs cigarettes?"  
  
"Maybe. I suppose it couldn't hurt."  
  
The two walked downstairs and Tohru quickly went into the kitchen to get the shopping list, so they wouldn't forget anything. After putting their shoes on the couple walked off to the market, talking about the garden and the upcoming festival.  
  
Kyo stared out the window watching Tohru and Yuki leave to go shopping. Normally this would have annoyed him to no end, even if he had been invited, which he had. But instead he just waited for the clouds of dust to appear that meant Kagura was near.  
  
When he saw them, he slowly walked downstairs and opened the front door before she even reached the yard.  
  
"Kyo-kun! I'm here!"  
  
"Hello Kagura. How are you?"  
  
"Wonderful now that I'm with you!" she cried grabbing onto his arm. She noticed he was quite mellow; maybe something had happened with Tohru. "Kyo- kun, what's wrong?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You're not acting like yourself. Did something happen?"  
  
"Not really. I mean Tohru is spending a lot of time with Yuki, and granted she's not avoiding me, I still feel like she's worried about what happened."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She never seems to want to be alone with me. If she's out doing laundry and she sees me on the roof, she goes inside. I don't quite understand it..." He paused for a moment before continuing; "The strange thing is though, is that I don't seem to mind it anymore."  
  
"Then maybe it's not worth it to worry about it, is it?"  
  
He smiled at her, "Probably not. Would you like to take a walk together?"  
  
Kagura jumped into his arms with a squeal. "Of course!"  
  
** Author's Note ** Thanks for reading chapter 2! Sorry this one was so short, but I thought this would be a good place to end it before Shigure gets home with a surprise for everyone! Yey! I love surprises. Anyway, a few of you have said that you wonder what is going to happen with Tohru and Kyo. I believe that this happens in both the manga and the anime, but those of you who pay very close attention will remember a comment made by Uo-chan when Kyo first comes to school. OoOoOo... Not helping? * giggles * Too bad. I'm off to write the next chapter! * starts singing like Shigure * New Chapter! New Chapter! 1-2-3 New Chapter! 


	3. Special Guest

Chapter 3 Special Guest  
  
When Tohru and Yuki arrived home from the market they found Kyo, Kagura, Shigure, and Ayame in the main room talking. Yuki froze. Why was his brother here? Didn't Shigure care at all for other people's feelings?  
  
"Brother dear!" Ayame called as he rushed over to Yuki. Tohru simply smiled wondering what was going on.  
  
"Shigure can I tell him? Please can I tell him now?"  
  
"Of course Ayame, go right ahead."  
  
"I'll go start dinner! Are you staying?" Tohru asked Kagura and Ayame. Both said yes, so Tohru hurried into the kitchen to put away the things they had bought and get started on dinner.  
  
Kagura joined her, "Can I help Tohru-san?"  
  
"Of course Kagura-san!"  
  
Kagura stepped in close to Tohru to whisper something in her ear, "Ayame's going to be staying with you. I didn't want to be in there when Yuki found out." Then the boar stepped back and asked what she could do to help.  
  
While the two girls went about making miso soup, gyoza, and kare raisu, all hell broke out in the main room.  
  
"He's what?!"  
  
"Ayame is going to staying with us for sometime while his house has some remodeling done."  
  
"Get out. Now." Yuki stated through gritted teeth and pointed at the door.  
  
Shigure laughed slightly, "Yuki-kun, it's my house."  
  
Yuki's eyes narrowed as he looked from Shigure to Ayame.  
  
"This will be so much fun brother! We even get to share a room. It will be just like when we were little, only better!"  
  
Yuki's eyes narrowed even further as he glared at Shigure.  
  
"Yuki-kun, he needs somewhere to sleep. He can't very well sleep with Tohru, and you know I have no room at all in my room."  
  
"Fine! He can have my room."  
  
"You're not sleeping on the roof with me Rat Boy!"  
  
"I wasn't going to you Baka Neko," with that Yuki stormed out of the room and into the kitchen.  
  
"Are you okay Yuki-kun?" Kagura asked looking up from the rice cooker.  
  
"Ayame is—is staying in my room!"  
  
Tohru looked startled by this, "But you don't get along. Why would he stay in your room with you? There's more than enough space in my room."  
  
"He's not staying in your room Tohru-kun. I don't trust him."  
  
"Oh. Well, then why don't you sleep in my room too? I won't mind."  
  
Kagura smirked to herself finally understanding what Kyo had been talking about. These two were crazy about each other.  
  
"I couldn't ask that of you Tohru-kun. Wouldn't you think it weird?"  
  
"Why? We're both friends. I wouldn't mind at all."  
  
"All right. I suppose I can move some of my stuff in there while you two finish with dinner."  
  
"Okay! We'll be done soon!"  
  
As Yuki left Kagura couldn't hold back a giggle.  
  
"What's so funny Kagura-san?"  
  
"You two. You like Yuki-kun, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, he's one of my very good friends, like Hana-chan and Uo-chan."  
  
She's totally clueless, Kagura thought, but didn't press the matter.  
  
The two girls set the table and brought out the food. Yuki came downstairs shortly after and the group ate their fill.  
  
"This is going to be so much fun Brother! Sharing a room, like we're children. We'll have to stay up late and do each other's hair. And I can dress you for school!"  
  
Yuki tried to ignore all of Ayame's comments, but he was taking it too far. "We're not staying in the same room you stupid snake!"  
  
"What ever do you mean Yuki? Of course we are."  
  
"No. You are sleeping in my room. I am sleeping in Tohru-kun's room. End of story. And you will not be dressing me in any of your stupid outfits. I'm not a doll."  
  
Shigure pouted now, "Awww, you're no fun Yuki-kun. I wanted to see the pretty outfit that Ayame picked out for you."  
  
"It's all right Gure. I still get to dress them all for the festival next week!" Ayame giggled.  
  
Yuki grabbed the dishes out from under Ayame and Shigure's chopsticks and stood up. "Let me help you with the dishes Tohru."  
  
"Thank you Yuki," Tohru said getting up now. She took Kagura and Kyo's plates a bit less forcefully.  
  
Inside the kitchen Yuki sighed aloud and dropped to the floor in a heap. "I don't know how much longer I can take this Tohru-kun. It's almost like he's trying to get on my nerves."  
  
"He just wants to spend time with you is all. He is your brother after all."  
  
"Only by blood. Why can't he just leave it that way?"  
  
"I dunno. If I had a brother I would want to be close to him and look up to him. I'm sure Ayame just wants that for you two."  
  
"He's a pervert. I refuse to look up to a prevent."  
  
Tohru smiled at Yuki and started washing the dishes.  
  
"Well, anyway. The onions are going to be ready soon so we'll have some room in the garden to plant something new. What do you think?"  
  
"Well, we already have leeks and strawberries, maybe some carrots?"  
  
Yuki nodded, "We could pick the seeds tomorrow after school. I mean if you don't mind stopping at the market again."  
  
"Of course not Yuki-kun. After school then. I can't wait. Why don't you go set up your bed? I'll be finished here in a moment and then we can work on our homework."  
  
"All right. Come up soon."  
  
** Author's Note ** Hello again! Sorry, it took me a little longer to update than I hoped. Homework's piling up because spring break is in a couple weeks. Yey! Anyway, I'm going to try and update at least once a week if I can help it. I'm going to try and shoot for two chapters over spring break, so you can look forward to that. For those of you that aren't quite up on all the Japanese foods and cultures you might have a couple misunderstandings in this chapter. A lot of the info I get off of www.japan-guide.com, so you can check out that site. It's really good. Also, it is the end of June and the festival that I'm talking about is the Gion Matsuri festival held in Kyoto throughout the month of July. Now, for those of us who like in the US, like me, it might seem weird that I'm talking about them going to school. Most schools in Japan have classes Monday through Saturday, giving students Sundays off. The school year begins in April and ends in March. They get a few weeks off throughout the year, but I haven't found a clear answer as to when these are, so for the purpose of the story, one of those weeks will be in July. ^_^ Thanks again for reading, and I hope my little culture notes helped anyone that was unsure about anything. 


	4. Flowering

Chapter 4 Flowering  
  
Tohru finished the dishes and then headed up stairs to bed. As she was going upstairs she caught Shigure peeking around the corner. "Is there anything else you need Shigure-san? I could make you some tea if you like before I go up to do my homework."  
  
"No, no Tohru-kun. Just behave yourself until I can find the camera."  
  
Tohru seemed confused, but Shigure left her on the stairs alone. Shrugging the comment off she headed back up to her room.  
  
"Ah, Tohru-kun, what took you so long?"  
  
"Shigure needed a word with me, but I'm not quite sure what he was talking about."  
  
"Well what did he say?"  
  
"That we're supposed to behave ourselves until he finds the camera."  
  
"SHIGURE!!!"  
  
The dog meekly poked his head into the door of Tohru's room. "Ahh, yes Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Don't you go around implying such dirty things to Tohru-kun. And don't you ever think that something like that would go on when you're around."  
  
The dog sulked away, and Tohru looked even more confused. "Dirty things, Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Shigure was saying that we shouldn't do anything inappropriate unless he could take pictures."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Just never mind; it's not important. Have you finished your English paper yet?"  
  
"Hai. Would you look it over for me?" she asked sitting down next to him on the floor.  
  
The two worked on their homework for an hour then decided that they should head to bed.  
  
"Good night, Yuki-kun," Tohru said as she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.  
  
Sleep did not come as quickly for Yuki. He sat there for a long while thinking about everything Tohru had done for him. Part of him wished that she had never found out about the curse because of all the pain it must cause her. She didn't need to carry that pain; she wasn't a Sohma after all.  
  
A larger part of him was glad that he finally had someone he could be perfectly honest with. He would never forget her words the day he told her that she might have her memory erased.  
  
"Just, promise you'll still be my friend, okay?"  
  
Yuki felt so deeply for her, she was different from everyone. She was everything that Yuki wished he could be: strong, friendly, open, loving, caring, and innocent. He rolled over and looked at her sleeping form before whispering, "Good night my sweet Tohru."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When Yuki awoke the next morning he rolled over to say good morning to Tohru, but she wasn't in her bed. His mind panicked for a moment, before he remembered that Tohru always got up before everyone else so she could make breakfast and do a few chores before they had to leave for school.  
  
He tucked his bed away in the closet and got dressed in his uniform before heading downstairs. The smell of the wonderful meal Tohru was making floated throughout the house even though there was only Tohru and Yuki to smell it.  
  
"Good morning Tohru-kun," Yuki said as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning Yuki-kun! Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Wonderful. Just like your cooking smells."  
  
Tohru blushed easily and Yuki laughed slightly. She was always so cute like this.  
  
Just then Kyo came in yelling something about Ayame taking too long in the bathroom. "Do something about your stupid brother Yuki!"  
  
Yuki was glad that someone else found Ayame as annoying as he did, but he refused to take the blame for this. "It was the dog that brought it is, remember Kyo?"  
  
"That's right. That damn dog..." Kyo said storming off, most likely to go find Shigure.  
  
Tohru giggled at Kyo, then finished dishing everything onto their plates. "Would you like some help carrying that into the dining room, Tohru-kun?"  
  
"Oh, thank you Yuki-kun. You're so sweet," she said as she handed him a couple plates of food, and then followed him into the dining room with her own set of steaming plates.  
  
Breakfast went fairly uneventfully, Yuki ignored Ayame, just as Kyo did. Tohru however asked him lots of questions about his shop. Shigure giggled mostly between bites of food.  
  
"Come on Tohru-kun, we have to leave or we'll be late for school," Yuki said pulling her away from Ayame.  
  
"But Ayame was just in the middle of a wonderful story."  
  
"He'll be here when we get home, unfortunately."  
  
The trio walked to school quietly, and arrived before the bell sounded for the beginning of classes.  
  
During class Tohru caught Yuki watching her a couple times, but thought nothing of it. He was her friend, why shouldn't he look at her?  
  
After classes were finished and the students had cleaned the room, Yuki and Tohru left Kyo to walk home alone while they went to the market to buy seeds for the garden.  
  
Kyo was glad that they didn't invite him. He couldn't believe what Kagura had told him last night before she left. How could she even think that Tohru and Yuki liked each other as more than friends? The thought was quite sickening. Maybe the girl just had love stuck on the brain.  
  
But what if she was right? What if the two did like each other and they weren't going out because they thought he would be mad? Kyo told himself that he didn't care, but did he? It was hard to say. Sadly the only person for him to talk about things with was going to be Shigure, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about his problems with that dumb dog. Shigure usually ended up being right, when he got serious, but he always had to laugh about being right later on.  
  
However, when Kyo arrived home Shigure was not there. Ayame told him that something had come up at the Main House that needed Shigure's attention. Kyo steamed and headed up to his room, slamming the door before Ayame could question him why he needed to talk to Shigure so bad. Like hell Kyo was telling his problems to that stupid snake.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In the market Tohru and Yuki stood looking over all the different kinds of vegetable seeds that they could buy. While Tohru seemed happy with any of the ideas that Yuki gave her, she kept looking over at the different flower seeds. Yuki smiled at her, she probably didn't even know that he had noticed her glances yet. That was just like her.  
  
"Tohru-kun we could plant two things if you like. We do have more than enough space."  
  
"Oh yes, but what else could we plant?"  
  
"Hmmm.... Well, let's get carrots like we originally thought, and how about something special?"  
  
"Special?"  
  
Yuki nodded, "Something special." Then he took her hand and pulled her over to look at the different flower seeds.  
  
Tohru blushed a bright red, and Yuki suppressed a giggle. He was quite surprised at the different kinds of flowers you could plant. There were more different kinds that those for vegetables!  
  
"Pick anyone that you like Tohru-kun."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Of course. Which one do you like?"  
  
After looking the different types over Tohru finally decided on some pretty Yuris, lilies.  
  
"Do you like these Yuki-kun?"  
  
He smiled, "I said that you get to pick, so whatever you like. They are very pretty, almost as pretty as you Tohru-kun."  
  
** Author's Note ** Well, what do you all think of the new chapter? I hope you like it. Now, I've been noticing that a lot of you, okay nearly all of you, really want to know what's going to happen between Tohru and Kyo. I think next chapter is going to be the festival, and then the camping trip for the next couple chapters after that, but where ever shall I put the 'thing' between Tohru and Kyo? Hmmm.... Well, if I'm feeling nice I just might put it in the next chapter so say tuned! 


	5. Cherry Blossom Sweet

Chapter 5 Cherry Blossom Sweet  
  
When Shigure arrived home from the Main House he found Kyo on the roof sulking, Ayame in Yuki's room working on their robes for the festival, and Tohru and Yuki were out in the garden. When he popped in to see what Ayame was doing the snake commented on how pale he was.  
  
Was he pale? Probably. Akito had finally told Shigure why Tohru had been able to stay with them, and it had nothing to do with Kyo's transformation to his original form. No, that Akito had done on a whim it seemed.  
  
Shigure didn't know how he was going to tell Tohru. And how would Kyo and Yuki react? He sighed as he sat down at his computer. He had a chapter due in less than an hour and it was half done.  
  
Taking a deep breath he promised himself that he would tell them all at dinner, but for now he had to focus on his chapter.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dinner came but Shigure couldn't bring himself to wreck the good mood. Everyone was excited for the festival tomorrow on the first of July. It could wait until after they had had their fun, couldn't it?  
  
Of course it could! Shigure told himself, but inside he felt he shouldn't wait.  
  
After dinner Kyo stormed into Shigure's office where the dog sat working on his next chapter.  
  
"Ah, Kyo-kun. What can I help you with?"  
  
"It's that damn rat!"  
  
"And what has Yuki-kun done now? Beat you up again?"  
  
"No! He refuses any fights I start and it's pissing me off!"  
  
"That surely can't be the only reason you're mad."  
  
"No. It's him and Tohru!"  
  
"I thought you were fine with them spending more time together."  
  
"I am, but I'm not fine with them making goofy eyes at each other all through dinner!"  
  
Shigure grinned, he had noticed that too. Something was going on between the two, but he didn't think that was anything to worry about for the moment.  
  
"Would you be upset if they liked each other as more than friends?"  
  
"Of course! That damn rat gets everything."  
  
"Are you sure you're not just being protective of Tohru-kun? That you're worried that Yuki-kun might hurt her?"  
  
Kyo didn't answer, that was exactly it. Why hadn't he been able to figure that out himself? Stupid dog, Kyo thought.  
  
"You have every right to be protective of Tohru-kun. But whatever those two decide you have to trust Tohru-kun to make the right choice. That doesn't mean you have to like it, you just have to trust Tohru-kun. Agreed?"  
  
"Fine," Kyo said and stormed off to the roof.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The next morning Tohru got up even earlier than she normally did. She cleaned the main room before heading to the kitchen to get started on breakfast.  
  
She hummed happily as the food cooked. Shigure was taking them all to the Gion Festival, and she couldn't wait. It had been ages since she had gone to a festival, and Ayame was making them all special robes to wear. Tohru hoped that she could remember how to put on a kimono. She hadn't really worn one since she was little, and her mother always helped her then.  
  
Shigure stumbled into the kitchen. "Ah, Tohru-kun. Good morning. That smells delicious."  
  
"Good morning Shigure-san. It won't be ready for a few more minutes. You look tired, could you not sleep last night?"  
  
"Oh no, it wasn't that. I was up late trying to finish another chapter so my editor can pick it up while we're at the festival."  
  
Shigure silently laughed to himself, of course he had no intentions of doing such a thing. He would finish the chapter, but then hide it from her for an hour or so until she finally broke down. It was so much fun to tease her!  
  
"That's nice of you. Would you go check and see if everyone else is awake yet?"  
  
"Of course, we wouldn't want Tohru-kun's lovely breakfast getting cold.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ After everyone had eaten they all went to get ready to go to the festival. Ayame pulled Tohru aside to the bathroom where she could change into her kimono.  
  
However before Ayame could offer to help her change Yuki pulled him out by his ear, telling him it was rude to watch someone change.  
  
Tohru giggled and finally turned to see the kimono that Ayame had made for her. It was a deep blue with cherry blossoms and different symbols for the Chinese zodiac. She smiled brightly it was so beautiful.  
  
Tohru had no trouble with the robe until it came time to tie the obi in place. She fought with it for nearly ten minutes until a soft knock came on the door.  
  
"Hai?" she asked, slightly breathless.  
  
"Tohru-kun? Are you having trouble?"  
  
"Ummm... Hai, Yuki-kun," she said blushing.  
  
"Would you like some help? I know the obi is hard to tie by yourself," he said opening the door.  
  
Tohru was almost breathless when he entered. She always thought that he looked handsome in his Chinese style shirts, but the kinagashi that Ayame had made for him was completely stunning. His was decorated much like Tohru's kimono, in it was the same color and had cherry blossoms, but rather he only had the symbol for rat on it.  
  
He smiled at her, "Let me see."  
  
Tohru turned around, blushing even more.  
  
"You could have said you needed help."  
  
"I know, but I didn't want to trouble anyone."  
  
"You're never any trouble, Tohru-kun."  
  
Yuki quickly finished tying the bow, "All right, it's prefect."  
  
Tohru smiled at him and they left to go meet the others in the car where Hatori, Momiji, Kagura, Shigure, Ayame, and Kyo waited.  
  
Tohru noticed that Ayame must have made the robes for everyone in the family. Everyone had a different color fabric (well, aside from her and Yuki), with cherry blossoms, and the Chinese symbol for their animal as the pattern, as she climbed in the back of the car.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Once they arrived at the festival Shigure gave all of the kids some money, most likely to get them out of their hair so they could pick up girls, or at least that's what Yuki thought.  
  
After Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame had left Yuki took charge of things. "All right. What do you guys want to do first?"  
  
"I'm hungry! Let's get some takoyaki!" Momiji cried.  
  
"Yeah! That's sounds really good, don't' you think Kyo-kun?" Kagura asked him.  
  
Yuki smiled at Tohru, "Are you hungry?"  
  
"Hai. Let's go!"  
  
The group headed over to the near by stand and bought three orders. Momiji ate this whole plate by himself, while Kyo and Kagura, and Yuki and Tohru shared theirs.  
  
Yuki couldn't take his eyes off of Tohru. She looked stunning in the kimono that Ayame had made for her. He also noticed that in the design of the fabric, while it had all of the symbols for the Chinese zodiac, the symbol for rat appeared most often. He smiled at her and they headed over to play a game to win a goldfish.  
  
Only Tohru and Momiji won fish, but Tohru gave hers to a small child that couldn't catch one himself. "Arigatoo!" he cried as he ran off to show his mother.  
  
Kagura and Momiji decided they wanted to try another game, so Kyo went with them, leaving Yuki and Tohru sitting alone under one of the sakura trees.  
  
Tohru blushed slightly as if the two of them being alone was something strange.  
  
"That was really kind of you, Tohru-kun?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
She was zoning out again, he thought smiling at her. "Giving the goldfish to the little boy."  
  
Tohru blushed a deeper red. "Well, he just looked so sad, and I couldn't keep a fish anyway."  
  
As she rambled on for another minute Yuki kept thinking about how cute she was, and how soft her face looked with the slight amount of make-up that Kagura had put on her in the car; he lips especially. What color where they? Almost a deep cherry pink, but not quite. Yuki couldn't place it, but it still looked beautiful.  
  
"Gomen!" Tohru said suddenly and Yuki realized that he hadn't listened to a word she just said.  
  
"There's no reason to be sorry, Tohru-kun."  
  
She blushed, and opened her mouth to keep saying she was sorry, but Yuki stopped her by placing a small kiss upon her lips.  
  
Tohru was a bright red now, "Yu—Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Gomen nasai Tohru-kun, but I couldn't help myself. You look so beautiful today, more so than you do every other day," he turned away from her now, not knowing what he was saying or had come over him.  
  
"Yuki?"  
  
He took a deep breath before finishing, "I love you Tohru!"  
  
** Author's Note ** Tease, tease, tease. Hehehe. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. It took me a while to find all of the proper terms for the robes, but as you can tell I'm not sure on what all goes on at festivals. *blushes* Anyway, Yuki has finally told Tohru how he feels, but will she feel the same way? And what will Kyo say? Will Shigure ever tell them what Akito said? And will Shigure ever get to take those pictures of Tohru and Yuki? LoL. Well, stay tuned. The answers to these questions and more in the next chapter! *pets the plot bunny in a slightly evil-looking manner* That is, if I feel like it. Muwhahahaha. 


	6. Among Family

Chapter 6 Among Family  
  
Shigure watched as Ayame took off chasing after another girl. It wasn't fair that he could be so carefree. This affected his brother too. He sighed making Hatori turn to him.  
  
"You haven't told them yet, have you Shigure?"  
  
"No. I was going to do it last night, but everyone was so excited for the festival that I didn't want to wreck their fun."  
  
"And you didn't want to it anyway."  
  
"Urrr, ummm, no. That's not it Hatori," Shigure said as he sweat dropped. Who was he kidding? Of course he didn't want to tell them.  
  
"You have to tell them. They have a right to know."  
  
"I know, but how do you tell them something like this? What if they react badly?"  
  
"They're more grown up then we may think. Especially Tohru. How many girls her age do you think could handle a secret like ours for so long?"  
  
"I don't know, I just don't know."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Gomen nasai!" Yuki said turning away from Tohru again. What had he done? He had wrecked everything now. She would never want to speak to him again; never want to go to the garden with him or even walk home from school together. She wouldn't want to do their homework together, or let him stay in her room any longer. He surely would never be able to see her smile again. What if she wanted to move back in with her grandfather? What would he do then?  
  
As Tohru touched his shoulder softly he expected the worse.  
  
"Yuki-kun? Please look at me," she said quietly.  
  
When Yuki did as he was asked he saw that she was crying. He had made her cry! This was horrible!  
  
"Tohru, I'm—I didn't—Please don't cry, I'm sorry. I never should have told you. I thought I could keep it inside, there's no way I can make you happy. I can't even hold you," he said as he went to wipe her tears away.  
  
Much to his surprise Tohru let him. "Please don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry. You were so brave, I couldn't ever tell you, let alone myself that it was true."  
  
"What do you mean Tohru?"  
  
"I love you too Yuki. I have for a long time, but I couldn't admit it because I thought you didn't like me in that way and if I told you then you would want me out of the house. I don't ever want to leave the Sohmas, you're more of my family than my grandfather is."  
  
Tohru broke into tears again and Yuki wiped them away while pulling her closer, ever mindful of the curse. "I don't ever want you to leave. Stay with me always Tohru," he whispered and then kissed her again.  
  
Kagura grinned at the scene. She knew that those two would get things together if left alone for two seconds. The two were meant for each other, just like her and Kyo. At least that's how she saw it in her mind.  
  
Kyo called for her, she guessed Momiji was becoming too much for him in the few minutes she had gone to check on the couple. Not wanting Kyo and Momiji to see, she called back that she was coming.  
  
"Where did you go?"  
  
"I dropped something. Gomen Kyo-kun."  
  
"It's all right. I was—never mind!"  
  
Kagura smiled, if she didn't know any better she would think that he was worried about her.  
  
"Let's go and get Tohru and go find a spot to watch the fireworks!" Momiji piped up now.  
  
The trio walked over to the sakura tree where Tohru and Yuki sat both looking very red and guiltily. Nether Kyo or Momiji noticed. Momiji just grabbed Tohru's hand and pulled her up saying that they needed to find seats for the fireworks.  
  
As Tohru and Kagura laid out the blanket, Yuki went to go find Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori.  
  
Kagura knew she was grinning happily about what had happened with Yuki and Tohru, but she hoped Tohru didn't notice. She knew the two of them would be embarrassed if someone else knew. Instead she settled for cuddling up close to Kyo.  
  
Shockingly Kyo didn't pull away; rather he put his arm around her and closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.  
  
When Yuki returned with the others they all sat down. Yuki sat close to Tohru and held her hand between the two of them so the others couldn't see.  
  
Quiet oh's and ah's filled the clearing as the fireworks started. Yuki squeezed Tohru's hand tightly, never wanting to let go.  
  
When the fireworks finished Momiji was fast asleep so Hatori had to carry him to the car. Again Yuki made sure to sit next to Tohru in the car and held her hand. He couldn't believe that she felt the same way about him that he did for her. Surely he was the luckiest person in the world.  
  
In the front seat Shigure noticed Tohru's blushing face. How he longed to know what was going on back there. Was Yuki touching her? He giggled thinking the dirtiest of things that could be happening. Hadn't he told them to wait though, until he had found the camera?  
  
Ayame noticed Shigure's silently giggling face and asked, "What's so funny Gure?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing. It's nothing."  
  
Ayame pouted for the rest of the ride home.  
  
Shigure, Ayame, Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru got out at their house and waved goodbye to Hatori, Kagura, and the sleeping Momiji. Of course before they left Hatori had whispered to Shigure that he needed to tell them, tonight, now that the festival was over.  
  
Shigure sighed as they entered the quiet house. After they had taken off their shoes he said that he needed to see everyone in the main room before they went to bed.  
  
As they all sat down around the table, Kyo whined, "Why do we have to talk now? Some of us are tired."  
  
"I understand that Kyo, but I've been putting this off for long enough now."  
  
"What is it Shigure-san?" Tohru asked now.  
  
"The other day I was called to the Main House to see Akito. He felt it was finally time that we knew why Tohru was allowed to stay with us."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Shigure decided the best way to explain to them was to tell them the story.  
  
"About 20 years ago a young girl came to fall in love with a Sohma. While they cared very much for each other they were not allowed to marry because of the curse. She did come to learn of the curse and spent a great deal of her time researching the legend of the Chinese zodiac, hoping that there would be a clue as to how to end the curse of the Sohmas.  
  
"For nearly two years she searched and found nothing. However she became pregnant at this time with a baby boy. Nine months later he was born. Everyone commented on his hair, which matched the color of his mother's. Just after he was born the girl became pregnant again, this time with a girl.  
  
"The baby girl looked more like her father. However before the baby girl could be born the Head of the Sohmas sent her away. The couple decided that they would each keep one of the babies and marry another. So the boy was raised as a Sohma, mainly for the fact that he was cursed.  
  
"The baby girl was taken away and never knew of her real father or of the Sohmas. She was lucky in that she wasn't born with the curse, so she could be raised as a normal child."  
  
"What happened to the children?" Tohru asked.  
  
"The boy grew and studied marital arts in the mountains, while the girl went through horrible times. The man she had learned to be her father died, and then her mother died. Months after this she somehow came to live with the Sohmas, and in that house also lived the boy she never knew to be her brother."  
  
The three of them began to get very confused. Surely he wasn't talking about Tohru, was he?  
  
"What are you trying to say Shigure?" Yuki asked.  
  
"I'm saying that Tohru is a Sohma."  
  
** Author's Note ** There! Are you all happy now? If you cannot figure it out, Tohru's brother is Kyo. Remember when Kyo first came to school and Uo-chan commented on his hair being the same color as Tohru's mother? Ahh, bet most of you didn't catch that, did you? Muwhahaha. Anyway, next chapter will be up soon I hope. I also hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. ^_^ Please review! I love seeing what you all think. Also, I invite you to check out my website (you can find a link on my info page) because I have quite a few Fruits Basket wallpapers that I made that I think you will like. Thanks again! 


	7. Brother and Sister

Chapter 7 Brother and Sister  
  
Kyo jumped up and stormed off to the roof. He wouldn't believe it! Nothing would make him! That other woman had only been a dream. Yes, a dream because he hated being a Sohma.  
  
But then how had Shigure known? Surely he had never told anyone about that dream...  
  
Ayame stirred awake when Kyo had gone off. "Gure?"  
  
"Come on Ayame, let's go to bed."  
  
As the two adults left Yuki turned to look at Tohru.  
  
She wasn't crying, just lost in thought. What was she thinking about? About how she didn't want to be apart of this family?  
  
"Tohru?" Yuki asked taking her hand.  
  
When she looked up at him there were a couple tears in her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. I just can't believe she didn't tell me. And now I think Kyo really hates me."  
  
"Tohru," Yuki whispered brushing away the tears, "She probably didn't even know herself. Most likely she had her memories erased."  
  
A few more tears appeared, "But to forget your own child? How could they do that to Mother? She was only trying to help them!"  
  
Yuki longed to pull her closer, but couldn't because of the curse. Instead he had to settle for wiping away her tears and touching her cheek. "I know Tohru. I'm sorry."  
  
"I can't believe I didn't even notice. Uo-chan had said something about him looking like Mother, but I thought she was just joking."  
  
"It's all right Tohru, I promise it will be all right. At least your with family now, right?"  
  
Tohru finally smiled, "Yes, I'm with my real family now."  
  
"Come on, let's go to bed. We have school in the morning."  
  
Never letting go of her hand Yuki led the two of them upstairs to bed. Yuki slept next to her that night, never releasing her hand even once.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Kyo sat up on the roof. As much as he hated Shigure, he hated him even more. Why hadn't he seen it? He slammed his fist against the roof. That stupid dog should have told him.  
  
He rolled over on his side. When he was very little he had dreams of a woman with bright orange hair like his own. She was warm and happy. But he couldn't remember anything else about her. He had always thought it was just a dream.  
  
Now he slightly hated her for leaving. How could his father have never told him?  
  
Kyo spent the rest of the night going over everything in his mind. He wasn't sure whom he hated the most. But by the time the sun had started to rise he realized that the one person involved in this that he didn't hate, hadn't blamed once, was Tohru.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yuki got up early with Tohru and kept her company. He was sure that at a time like this she didn't want to be alone. She cleaned at lightening fast speeds, and cooked their morning meal.  
  
When Tohru sent him to wake the others he wasn't sure if he should leave her. It would be like her to tell them that she was fine, but when they turned their backs she would break down. Just like on New Year's.  
  
She finally pushed him out of the kitchen, and Yuki had no choice but to do as she asked. He woke Shigure and Ayame quickly, and only shouted for Kyo out the back door before dashing back into the kitchen.  
  
There she stood over the rice cooker with a smile on her face. His heart almost broke. She must be in so much pain right now, he thought as he walked closer to her.  
  
"Tohru-kun," he whispered.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"It's okay, if you want to cry I mean. I would understand."  
  
Before he had even finished tears started to appear in her eyes. "Gomen Yuki-kun!"  
  
She quickly turned away from him not wanting him to see her cry, but he put and hand on her shoulder and turned her around. He never wanted her to feel ashamed about anything with him.  
  
"Please Tohru-kun. Let me see your beautiful face in everyway. I love you no matter what," he whispered brushing away her tears again.  
  
He held her as close as he could, hating every moment of it because he would never be able to comfort her completely.  
  
"Tohru-kun!" Shigure called from the main room.  
  
Tohru jumped away and quickly brushed away the rest of her tears. She had completely forgotten that they weren't alone.  
  
"Hush," Yuki whispered to her again, "You clean yourself up and I'll take the food out. Okay?"  
  
"Hai," Tohru whispered, smiling at him, before ducking quietly out of the kitchen to hurry to the bathroom.  
  
Yuki picked out the plates of food and walked into the main room where Shigure and Ayame were talking about how many phone numbers they had gotten at the festival yesterday. He couldn't believe how rude those two were being! He dropped the plates onto the table, nearly breaking them, before turning to go back to the kitchen to get the last of the plates. He dropped those ones too before sitting down on the opposite side of the table from the two of them.  
  
Shigure and Ayame had stopped talking and stared at Yuki.  
  
"What's wrong dear brother?"  
  
Yuki's eyes narrowed on the two of them, "You made her cry. You tainted her mother and made her a liar."  
  
"Yuki-kun, I'm sure her mother didn't know. Do you really think they would let someone leave the family with any memories of the curse?"  
  
They fell silent as Tohru entered and sat down next to Yuki. Kyo came in from the backdoor a few moments later and they all ate in silence.  
  
After they had finished eating Yuki grabbed Tohru's hand, "Come on, let's go. They can clean up."  
  
Before Tohru could protest Yuki had picked up her bag and herded them out the door. He held her hand as they walked to school in silence.  
  
Tohru smiled at him, "Thanks Yuki-kun."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Everything. Staying with me last night, talking with me, getting me out of there, loving me, and even letting me cry to you."  
  
Yuki smiled now, "It was nothing, I couldn't let you stay there any longer. And thank you, for loving me."  
  
Tohru clung to Yuki's arm as they walked to school talking about the fun they had had at the festival the other day.  
  
Uo-chan and Hana-chan met them at the front gate, and smiled brightly waving hello to the pair.  
  
Tohru quickly pulled away from Yuki, although she didn't let go of his hand.  
  
Uo-chan laughed and patted Tohru on the back. "So you two finally told each other, huh?"  
  
"Err... Umm..."  
  
"Your waves seem most pleasant today," Hana-chan said.  
  
Uo-chan grinned at Tohru, "Don't worry about it. We knew the whole time about you two. It was just a matter of time."  
  
Tohru blushed and Yuki smiled sweetly, "So then you won't be telling my fan club anytime soon I hope."  
  
"Nah, they'd be all over our poor Tohru then and I'd have to kick their asses."  
  
As the four of them kept talking Kyo appeared in the distance. Tohru waved to him, but he only ignored her.  
  
Yuki noticed that she seemed put out, she had said that she wanted a brother. "Just give him time," he whispered to her.  
  
She nodded and smiled brightly. "We better get to class or we'll be late!"  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Tohru couldn't pay one bit of attention during class. She was either looking at Yuki or Kyo, unable to decide who should get her attention. She sighed internal waiting for the lunch bell to ring.  
  
When it finally did Yuki walked over to her, "Meet me on the roof, okay?"  
  
She smiled, nodding and watched him leave. Uo-chan and Hana-chan were getting ready to challenge a couple boys to a game of Rich Man, Poor Man. Tohru stopped over to tell them where she was going. Uotani grinned at her, "Okay. Be good."  
  
Tohru blushed and headed out into the hall. However on her way to the stairs the Prince Yuki Fan Club stopped her.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"Outside, I just needed a bit of fresh air."  
  
"Ha! You were heading to the roof."  
  
"Yeah, Prince Yuki just went up there."  
  
"But I—"Tohru started.  
  
"How many times do we have to tell you that Prince Yuki doesn't like whores like you?"  
  
The three girls pressed Tohru closer to the wall with their insults until they succeeding in making her cry.  
  
"Stop it. Now."  
  
Tohru looked up, it was Kyo.  
  
"Oh! It's Prince Yuki's cousin!"  
  
"Leave her alone," Kyo said coming closer. He looked pretty scary, Tohru thought.  
  
"But she was stalking Prince Yuki!"  
  
"No, you are the ones stalking that baka Yuki. Do you really think he likes you getting into his business?"  
  
"Of course he does! We protect him!"  
  
Kyo was standing face to face with the girls now.  
  
"No. You don't. Leave Tohru alone or you'll have to deal with me."  
  
The girls laughed now. "Why do you care about such a slutty girl anyway?"  
  
Kyo pushed the one in the middle back. "Tohru is not a slut. You three are the sluts of this school. And why? Because she's my sister."  
  
"Wha—what? How can that be!"  
  
"Just get out of here before I really lose my temper."  
  
The girl ran off and Kyo turned to Tohru. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah... Thanks Kyo."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Hopefully they won't give you two anymore trouble. If they do, just let me know."  
  
Tohru nodded and fell silent for a moment. "Kyo?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Did you really mean that?"  
  
"Mean what?"  
  
"About being my brother?"  
  
"Well we are, aren't we? That women with the orange hair was your mother, right?"  
  
Tohru smiled now, "Hai!"  
  
Kyo turned away for a moment. "Is something wrong, Kyo-kun?"  
  
"What was she like? Our mother I mean. I use to have these dreams about a woman with hair like mine, but I can't remember her."  
  
Tohru hugged Kyo's arm. "She was beautiful, and happy. She was always happy about everything. And all she wanted was for everyone to be themselves."  
  
Kyo gave a slight smile at this, "Aren't you suppose to be meeting Yuki?"  
  
Tohru blushed. "Hai..."  
  
Kyo looked at her. "I already know Tohru. Kagura told me last night."  
  
"You're not mad, are you?"  
  
"No. I may not like it, but you're my little sister now and I have to look out for you, right?"  
  
Tohru blushed.  
  
"Just be careful, and don't let that dumb rat hurt you, okay? I would hate to have to beat him into a bloody pulp."  
  
"Okay!" Tohru said before taking off for the roof.  
  
** Author's Note ** Well, this was a kinda long chapter. I hope you're all happy about that and not mad at me. *sweat drop* Anyway, I think this chapter had a lot of cute moments, hopefully you agree. Also, I would like to thank everyone for reviewing. I was checking the reviews the other day while I was on the phone with one of my friends whom I got into Furuba. One of the reviews was about how if Yuki and Tohru got married then Yuki and Kyo would be brothers in law. We had a stupid moment, thinking how could that be, they're cousins, not brothers. Then of course as we're laughing about this, our other friend who lives with my friend and is also into furuba, asks what's so funny, so after telling her, she says we're the stupid ones and explains to us how this would work. ^_^ Then we spend the next five or so minutes laughing at our stupidity. LoL. 


	8. My Sweet Lily

Chapter 8 My Sweet Lily  
  
Tohru reached the roof slightly breathless from the dash up there.  
  
"Tohru-kun?" Yuki asked turning around.  
  
"Gomen! Uo-chan and Hana-chan had to ask me something before I could leave."  
  
Yuki frowned at her before smiling, "You're a horrible liar Tohru-kun."  
  
Tohru blushed a bright red.  
  
"Those fan club girls stopped you, didn't they?"  
  
"Hai... But it's okay!"  
  
He frowned once more, moving closer to her. "No, it's not okay for them to be picking on my girlfriend, ne?"  
  
Tohru would have gone redder if she could, but instead turned away.  
  
"You don't want to be my girlfriend, Tohru-kun?"  
  
"No, no! That's not it Yuki-kun."  
  
"I know, I was just teasing you. You look so cute when you're embarrassed," he said moving in for a short kiss.  
  
"But you are okay, aren't you? Those girls didn't say anything mean to you, did they?"  
  
Tohru nodded, "They did, but it's fine. Kyo saved me and scared them quite well."  
  
Yuki grinned; maybe that cat wasn't as bad as he thought after all. "That's good. Remind me to thank him later."  
  
Tohru froze in shock. Yuki, thank Kyo? Where those two really coming to understand each other? She sweat dropped when she realized he wanted to thank him for protecting her when he couldn't and nothing more.  
  
"Now, my sweet Yuri," Tohru blushed remembering the flowers they had picked out together only days before. "I have a present for you."  
  
"What? No, I couldn't—"  
  
Yuki put a finger to her lips to quiet her. "But you must, because I bought it just for you."  
  
The red that had started to fade from Tohru's face returned.  
  
"Now, I got this for you so that you will always know how much I love you Tohru. I swear to you that I will not let Hatori take your memories of this family from you because I honestly think that you do care about this family. But—but," Yuki paused in pain, as though he wanted to cry.  
  
"But if Akito refuses this, refuses us, I want you to leave before you're hurt and remember me like this, remember the happy times. And I always want you to remember how much I love you."  
  
Yuki walked behind Tohru and placed a small locket around her neck. *  
  
After he had shut the clasp he turned her around to face him. "I love you always Tohru, my sweet Yuri."  
  
Tohru slightly blushed, but looked at the locket. On the outside was the symbol for 'Yuri,' and on the inside it said 'The Rat's Riceball.'  
  
She almost sweat dropped but smiled instead. "Thank you Yuki. I love you and I never want to leave your side."  
  
"Come on now, we should get back to class," Yuki said taking her hand.  
  
"But what about..."  
  
"The fan club girls? I'm sure they've figured it out now after what happened. Besides, they'll just have to get use to it," Yuki smiled. "I don't know if I can go through all of school without holding my sweet Yuri's hand, or kissing her sweet lips," he said kissing her again.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ After school Yuki and Tohru walked home together, holding hands. However after they had left the school the fan club girls started following them.  
  
The couple ignored them for a few blocks, but finally it was becoming quite annoying to Yuki, and he was sure that Tohru was getting upset at it. "Hold on, Tohru," he said letting go of her hand and turning around.  
  
The girls had gone into hiding, and this only annoyed Yuki even more. "Show your faces."  
  
One by one the three girls peeked out from their hiding places. "Prince Yuki?"  
  
"Why are you walking with that girl?"  
  
"Yeah! We thought you didn't like trash."  
  
"Shut up! Right now. I will not let you talk about my girlfriend in such a rude manner."  
  
The girls screamed and broke into tears. Their sweet prince was dating this simple girl?  
  
"What does she have that we don't?"  
  
"What? A heart for one thing. Tohru cares about everyone, not just herself. But mostly she understands me."  
  
"But—but your cousin! The red-haired one said that they were brother and sister."  
  
"Hai, that is correct. We just found out that they were related."  
  
"But that means you two are related also, doesn't it?"  
  
Yuki grinned, they were grasping at straws. "Distantly, and besides that not something unusual for our family. Kyo is engaged on one of our other cousins."  
  
He had to laugh to himself. To anyone outside of the family this must sound completely horrid, but they were barely even related in reality that no one cared.  
  
"Now. If you would please, I ask that you kindly refrain from speaking to my girlfriend in such a rude manner and let myself and my princess be on our way."  
  
Yuki turned around, took Tohru's hand again before they started for home once again.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Camping? In the woods? Why would we ever do such a thing?" Yuki asked at dinner on Saturday night. Shigure and Ayame had come up with the idea that they all should go camping since they were off of school for the next week.  
  
"Well, it's not actually really camping. Ayame has a cabin that we will be staying in."  
  
"He has a cabin?" Yuki asked slowly. "He couldn't have stayed there during the remodeling?"  
  
"Oh, brother! It's nearly a two-hour drive to the cabin. It would be horrible for getting to work and coming to see you!"  
  
Yuki only glared at them. Tohru blushed over her bowl of rice.  
  
Kyo was the only one of the three that seemed completely for the idea. "What's wrong rat boy? Afraid of a few slugs?"  
  
"How about I slug you a few times?"  
  
As the two boys argued somemore Ayame and Shigure asked Tohru if she would like to go.  
  
"Hai. It sounds beautiful."  
  
"And it will give us all time to get closer to each other!" Ayame cried.  
  
"But not too close mind you, Yuki-kun," Shigure laughed.  
  
"What did you say?!?" Yuki shouted completely forgetting about Kyo and their fight.  
  
The dog cowered backed and so went the rest of dinner.  
  
After all the food had been eaten, and Kyo had been beaten to a pulp, everyone went to their rooms to pack up their things. Shigure wanted to leave first thing in the morning.  
  
** Author's Note ** Yey camping! I enjoy camping, although I'm not sure if people in Japan go camping or not... Well, for the case of this story they do. Anyway, here's the new teaser for you all, because I know how much you enjoy it. *pets the plot bunny somemore* Should we tell them little one? *plot bunny blinks a couple times in her arms* I'll take that as a sort of. Something is going to happen to Tohru on the camping trip that will send everything for a loop. Now, remember that locket Yuki gave her? ( * I totally ripped the idea off of No Regrets [which if you haven't read yet, you are lacking in your furuba fanfic reading] by Chisan1) That will play a huge part in things to come, so keep your eye on it. ^_^ See you all soon! 


	9. Lost Flower

Chapter 9 Lost Flower  
  
The group piled into the car Shigure had borrowed from Hatori after spending the better part of the morning trying to get Tohru out of the house. There was always something she had forgotten to clean, and didn't want them to come back to a dirty house.  
  
Before heading out for the cabin they stopped and picked up Kagura. Kyo had invited her because he didn't want to spend a whole week along with the stupid couple sitting behind them, or so he told himself on the drive. No matter the reason Kagura was quite happy at the idea of spending a week with Kyo.  
  
When they arrived Ayame showed them around the house. Tohru was sure it was a mansion mainly because it was bigger than Shigure's house. Despite the large size of the house there still wasn't enough rooms for all of them, so Tohru and Yuki as well as Kyo and Kagura had to share a room.  
  
Yuki thought that either Shigure trusted them, or he had installed hidden cameras in the rooms. He strongly hoped it was the first reason.  
  
He smiled as Tohru dragged him along with her around the house. There was even a small hot spring in the backyard. "This is so wonderful Yuki! I wish we could stay here always."  
  
He kissed her cheek causing her to blush, "Hai, it is very beautiful. But surely you wouldn't want to leave all your friends at school, would you?"  
  
Tohru shook her head no. She could never think of leaving Hana-chan and Uo- chan.  
  
"I didn't think so. How about we finish putting away our things and then go for a walk into the woods?"  
  
"Okay!" Tohru said happily.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yuki smiled at Tohru as she happily pointed out the different flowers and animals that they saw while they walked along the river. She seemed so happy, so carefree. He wished that he could keep her like this always.  
  
However, Yuki could not completely focus on Tohru because he was sure that Shigure was following them. He heard another twig snapped and started to get slightly annoyed.  
  
"Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Hold on Tohru," Yuki said turning around. Tohru gave a questioning look and tried to see what Yuki was looking at.  
  
"Shigure stop hiding and get out here. I know that you're following us."  
  
The dog peeked his head out from behind a tree. "Aww... you're no fun Yuki."  
  
"Shigure! Why are you following us?" Tohru asked now.  
  
Shigure came over to them and crying took her hand, "I came to protect you my fair flower. Who knows what Yuki might do to you if you were to lose your way."  
  
Yuki hit Shigure in the head with a rock. "I would do no such thing!"  
  
Tohru only looked confused, "You hit him Yuki..."  
  
Yuki opened his mouth to answer her, but a huge breeze came by and lifted Tohru's dress giving Shigure, who know lay on the forest floor, and slight view, until Yuki dropped the rock on his head that is.  
  
Tohru went bright red and held her dress down. Dark clouds were starting to move in, but Yuki was sure it wasn't supposed to rain all week.  
  
"Yuki-kun... The clouds..."  
  
"Hai, I know Tohru." He sighed looking down at the limp form of Shigure. "We should all start heading back. If it storms the river might start to flood, and we're a ways from the house."  
  
Before Yuki could even finish rain start pouring down heavily. He grabbed Tohru's hand and began running for the cabin. Shigure was left to follow behind them.  
  
The river slowly rised beside them as the rain poured down. When they weren't more than half way back Tohru tripped and fell into the river.  
  
"Tohru!"  
  
"Yuki!" she cried before the current pulled her under the surface.  
  
Yuki made to jump in after her, but Shigure grabbed him a pulled him back.  
  
"What are you doing?! I have to save her!"  
  
Shigure shook his head, "Yuki, it's too late. She's caught in the current and she wouldn't want you getting hurt just for her."  
  
Yuki glared at Shigure, "I promised I would protect her no matter what! Let me go! I have to save her!" He fought with Shigure, but couldn't match the dog's strength.  
  
"We'll go and look for her when the rain stops. Tohru wouldn't want you catching a cold, would she?"  
  
Shigure nearly had to drag Yuki back to the house. When they arrived Yuki pulled away from Shigure's grasp and ran upstairs to the guest room he was staying in where he fell on the bed and cried.  
  
Kagura watched Yuki run upstairs and looked to Shigure. "Where's Tohru?"  
  
"She... She fell in the river. The current was too strong," he said quietly.  
  
Kyo watched them from the doorway to the kitchen. Tohru was gone? What had that stupid dog done?! He doubted that he had even tried to save her.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Five miles down the river a group of students were camping near the riverbank. When the rain had started they quickly moved everything back so nothing would get swept into the river.  
  
As they sat around the fire trying to stay warm they quietly talked. One of the boys jumped up. "Look! A girl!"  
  
He ran over to the riverbank where a girl had just washed up. "Come on! Help me before she gets pulled in again!"  
  
A couple of the other kids helped him pull her out of the water and carried over by the fire. One of the girls grabbed some blankets and wrapped them around the wet girl.  
  
"Do you think she's okay? The current looks really bad."  
  
"She looks okay for the moment. I wonder what her name is and where she came from."  
  
"Up river somewhere," another girl said before getting an annoyed look from everyone else. "Well she did!"  
  
The boy who had spotted her noticed something silver around her neck. He carefully pulled it out from under her shirt. It was a small locket. "Yuri..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The locket, it says 'Yuri' on the front. You think that's her name?"  
  
They debated it for a few moments, but stopped when she started to stir.  
  
"Are you awake?"  
  
"Wha—what happened?"  
  
"You fell into the river and washed up on shore here. What's your name?"  
  
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything."  
  
"Hmm... Does Yuri sound familiar? Your locket says that on it."  
  
The girl looked at the locket. Yes, it did say that. But was that her name, she wondered. She thought hard on it... She did remember something calling her that... 'My sweet Yuri...'  
  
"Ye—yes, I think so. I remember someone calling me his sweet Yuri..."  
  
The girls smiled, "Your boyfriend?"  
  
She shook her head, "I don't remember. I can't remember him, or anything else."  
  
** Author's Note ** Hahaha! Bet you didn't see that one coming, did ya? Okay, maybe you did, but still. Poor Yuki... Will Kyo beat him to a pulp for losing his little sister? *evil grin* Most likely. But will Tohru ever remember who she is, or about Yuki? And will they ever find her? Find out in the next chapter! *sweatdrops* And now, this is the part where I tell you that spring break is over, (stupid school) and will not be updating as often as I have been lately. I will try and work on the story as much as possibly, but I can't say how often that will be. Please bear with me! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. *hugs you all!* It means so much to me! 


	10. Remembering

Chapter 10 Remembering  
  
Kagura peeked her head into Yuki's room. He lay on the bed shaking, and she was sure that he was crying.  
  
"Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Hai?" he asked into the pillow.  
  
Kagura took this as an invitation into the room, so she came and sat down next to him on the bed. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Would you be all right if you couldn't protect Kyo, ne?"  
  
Kagura slowly rubbed his back, "I doubt it. Gomen Yuki, I can't even begin to understand how you feel right now, but I would like to try."  
  
"She's gone Kagura. What if we never find her? She'll live with the thought that I didn't saver her for the rest of her life. And that's if she's alive."  
  
"She's alive Yuki, and we will find her. I'm sure she's safe and looking for a way home right now."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"She loves you and wouldn't let anything break you two apart."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The group of kids had decided to call the girl Yuri because that was the only thing she could remember. Try as she might to remember who the boy was that had called her that; all she remembered was that he had purple eyes.  
  
"I don't know anyone with purple eyes."  
  
"Yeah, and that's not something you would easily forget."  
  
"Ummm... if you don't mind me asking, who are you all?"  
  
"I'm Hisaki," the boy with long hair said.  
  
The other boy said his name was Junzo, and the one that had found her was Kyoji.  
  
The three girls said they were Kayoko, Rika, and Yuka.  
  
Yuri thought that Kyoji and Yuka sounded vaguely familiar, but couldn't place them, so she tried to forget about them.  
  
"We came out here to camp for our break from school," Kyoji said. They explained that they went to one of the colleges nearby.  
  
Yuri couldn't remember what school she went to, or even where it was.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Rika said. "We'll take you to the police box in town when we're leaving in a few days. All right?"  
  
"Okay," Yuri said smiling. Even if she couldn't remember much of anything, these people where very nice.  
  
"Come on, I'm sure you're tired. You can use my sleeping bag," Kayoko said taking Yuri's hand. However as she stood up she nearly fell over.  
  
"Hmm... It looks like she might have hurt her ankle," Junzo said. He had Yuri sit back down and looked at her ankle. "Well, it's swollen. I can't tell if it's broken or not though. Maybe we'll be able to tell once the swelling goes down."  
  
"Here, let me carry you. Sleep is probably the best thing for you anyway," Kyoji said picking her up and carrying her into the girls' tent.  
  
"Thank you Kyoji," Yuri said with a smile. He thought it was the most beautiful thing. He could see why she had such a pretty name as Yuri.  
  
"You're welcome. Now try and sleep for a while before dinner is ready."  
  
After Kyoji left Yuri fell asleep almost right away. However something slightly bugged her, something about cooking but she couldn't remember what.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The rain just kept pouring down. Yuki could hear it from his room. Kagura had left him not too long ago to go to check on Kyo.  
  
"What are we going to do?" she asked him.  
  
Kyo just shook his head, "I don't know Kagura. There isn't much we can do until the rain stops and the river isn't flooded anymore."  
  
"I don't know how much longer Yuki can just sit up there," she said looking at the ceiling towards where Yuki's room was.  
  
"I know Kagura, I know. Do you think I like sitting and waiting too?"  
  
Kagura shook her head no. "Well, I'm going to go and get started on dinner. We need to eat otherwise no one will be able to go and look for her."  
  
Kyo followed her into the kitchen to help and it wasn't long before the sweet smell of food was floating through the house.  
  
Upstairs Yuki sat up rubbing his head. He thought that he had fallen asleep for a while. Yes, maybe it was all a dream, he hoped. It was then that the smell of cooking floated upstairs to him. It was her! He knew Tohru's cooking anywhere.  
  
Yuki quickly ran downstairs forgetting about cleaning himself up. "Tohru!" he cried as he burst into the kitchen.  
  
Kagura and Kyo turned and stared at Yuki who just stared back.  
  
"Yuki..." Kagura started but he turned to leave. "Yuki, don't. Please."  
  
He stopped, but he pounded his fist against the wall making a large hole. "I hate this! I thought it was a dream. I thought she really was here, that she was making us dinner like she always does."  
  
Kagura walked over to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry Yuki. I wasn't thinking, I guess I should have told Shigure to order out something from town."  
  
"I just can't stand knowing that I couldn't save her."  
  
"We'll find her. I know we will."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Someone entering the tent waked Yuri. "Hmm?" she mumbled.  
  
"Hush, it's just me. Kyoji."  
  
"Oh, hi Kyoji," Yuri said laying back down with a small smile.  
  
"I came to check on your ankle. How is it?"  
  
"Ummm..." she tried to move it. A sharp pain shot through her leg. "It still hurts. I can't really move it either."  
  
He nodded as he kneeled next to her and unzipped the sleeping bag. He slipped off her shoe and sock before gently pressing on her ankle.  
  
Yuri tried not to cry in pain when he pressed on it. "How does it look?"  
  
"Not too bad. I think it's just sprained." He grabbed the ace bandage that he had brought in with him and wrapped her ankle with it.  
  
Yuri watched him closely the whole time. How could he be so kind to her after having just met her?  
  
"Okay, that should be better," he said waking her from her thoughts. "Do you want to try walking on it now?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And I'd bet your hungry too. I would be after falling into the river."  
  
She gave a small laugh and nodded, "Yeah, I'm starving."  
  
He took her hands and helped her to stand up. "Well, you're not screaming in pain. That's a good sign."  
  
She laughed and he held her hand as he helped her out of the tent into the rain.  
  
When she nearly tripped on the door he caught her around the waist and pulled her back up. "Are you okay? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"  
  
The poor boy seemed panic-stricken. "No, I'm fine. Thank you." He seemed to accept the answer and the two of them slowly made their way over to the campfire.  
  
When Yuri looked around they seemed to be the only ones there.  
  
"What happened to the others?"  
  
"They decided that if you're hurt we shouldn't wait to get a hold of the police. They went into town to report what happened. I stayed here to look after you," he said answering her thoughts.  
  
He took the pot of ramen noodles off the fire and stirred them to cool them faster. "It's only ramen, but they're very filling."  
  
"Ramen is fine."  
  
"Did you remember anything else while you were sleeping?"  
  
She thought about what she had dreamed about. A boy... no, it was her brother. He had orange hair, but did he have purple eyes? Was he the one who called her his sweet Yuri? That she couldn't remember.  
  
"My brother... He had orange hair. I'm not sure if he's the boy with purple eyes though."  
  
"Orange hair. That would look strange with purple eyes," Kyoji said grinning.  
  
Yuri laughed, "Yes it would."  
  
"Do you remember his name?"  
  
She shook her head no.  
  
"Don't worry about it. You'll remember soon enough. I'm sure they're out there looking for you right now in fact."  
  
** Author's Note ** One more chappie done! I'm so happy about all the wonderful reviews I'm getting. I love you all! *huggles!* I had some trouble with this chapter, but I think it's good. I wasn't sure how I should have everyone act. It's hard, okay? I'm at point A in the story, and I know Point B (the ending), but it's how to get there I'm confused about. That's okay though, the plot bunny is helping me lots. *hugs the plot bunny tightly making it's eyes bug out* Oops! Sorry bunny. *plot bunny gives her a mean look and takes off* Nooooooo! Come back! *turns back to the readers* I need to go catch that, but I'll see you again next chapter! *takes off after the plot bunny* 


	11. Finding Her

Chapter 11 Finding Her  
  
Yuki had tried to eat the dinner that Kagura and Kyo had made but it just wasn't the same as Tohru's. After picking at it for half an hour he had gone back upstairs to bed.  
  
The next morning when he woke up the rain had stopped. He threw on the clothes he had been wearing yesterday; it would take too long to dig out new ones, and rushed downstairs to find Kyo and Kagura.  
  
They were in the small main room eating a small breakfast. "Morning Yuki," Kagura said.  
  
He noticed that it was nearly 10. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner? We could have been out there looking for her already!"  
  
Kyo stood up and forced Yuki to sit down. "Just sit down and eat Rat-boy. You won't do Tohru any good if you don't eat anything."  
  
Yuki gave a small nod, thinking that it would horrible if he too fell into the river because he was too weak from hunger. He picked up a bowl of miso soup and drank it down.  
  
Once the liquid hit his stomach he realized just how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning after all!  
  
The three of them ate in silence and then went to get their coats. "Okay Yuki, where were you guys when she fell in?"  
  
"This way, down the path about a mile."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yuka came out of the tent holding up a deck of cards. "Let's play Rich Man, Poor Man!" she cried happily.  
  
They had just finished cleaning up breakfast and were ready for some fun. Kyoji helped Yuri get around the campsite even though her ankle was feeling much better. He sat her down on one of the logs and took a seat next to her.  
  
"Have you ever played before?"  
  
She nodded, "We played it all the time after class. My two best friends taught me..." She paused for a moment remembering something.  
  
"What is it? Do you remember something?"  
  
She nodded, "Yes. My brother, the one with the orange hair, he lost one time and one of my friends made him clean the whole classroom by himself. He refused to let me help, saying that a loss was a loss and he wouldn't hear of it." The thought made her smile.  
  
"Is that it?"  
  
"No, there was another boy there... I was very close to him, but I can't remember anything else."  
  
The others had been listening in and smiled at her. "That's a sweet story."  
  
Yuri blushed slightly and changed the subject, "Are we going to play?"  
  
"Yeah! You deal Kyoji!"  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The trio reached the point on the river where Tohru had fallen in the day before. Yuki stopped and stared at the water for the longest time.  
  
Kyo and Kagura looked at each other wondering what to do. They had to keep moving. The clouds still hung over head. Just because the rains had stopped didn't mean that they wouldn't start again.  
  
"Yuki? Come on, let's keep moving."  
  
He nodded slowly, "Yeah, okay." Then even slower he turned away and they followed the riverbank.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Revelation!" Rika cried out as she showed her cards.  
  
"That's cheating!" Junzo argued.  
  
Yuri laughed happily. She had been losing very badly, not remembering all of the rules, so finally Kyoji teamed up with her. It seemed though that she was just having rotten luck. Kyoji had gone from winning all by himself, to losing along with her. He didn't seem to care though, he just kept on smiling and laughing.  
  
"Did you hear that?"  
  
"Aw come on, you're just sore that I'm beating you."  
  
"No, no. I swear I really heard something. Listen."  
  
The group quieted down and they did hear something off in the distance.  
  
They waited a few more minutes before moving. The voices were becoming clearer.  
  
"Tohru! Tohru!"  
  
"Huh, it sounds like a boy is lost too. I hope he's okay," Rika said quietly.  
  
Yuri got this uneasy feeling in her stomach. Did she know that name, that voice?  
  
"Tohru!" another one called now.  
  
"I'm going to go see who it is," Junzo said standing up.  
  
The others only nodded as he headed off down the bank following the voices.  
  
Kyoji moved closer to Yuri and they waited.  
  
A moment later Junzo returned with two boys and a girl. The new comers stopped when they saw her.  
  
"Tohru!" the girl cried out.  
  
Yuri gave them a puzzled look.  
  
"It's me, Kagura!"  
  
"Kagura?"  
  
"Sohma. Kagura Sohma. What happened?"  
  
"You don't remember us?" the boy with orange hair asked now.  
  
Yuri tried to stand up, but started to fall until Kyoji caught her.  
  
"Don't touch her!" the boy with grey hair yelled and pushed Kyoji away. He ignored the others and looked into her eyes. "Tohru, what happened? Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, but who are you?"  
  
His purple eyes filled with tears at her words. "You don't remember..." Before he could finish he turned and ran back in to the woods from where they came.  
  
Yuri stood there in shock. He had purple eyes...  
  
Kagura looked around and finally went after the boy, leaving the boy with orange hair alone.  
  
"Yuri, we'll leave you alone. It sounds like these people know you."  
  
"Yuri? What happened?" the boy was getting angry.  
  
Yuka looked at him solemnly. "Kyoji found her in the river yesterday. She can't remember much of anything."  
  
The others left and went into their tents leaving Yuri alone with the boy. She sat down and sighed, "You do know me, don't you?"  
  
The boy walked over and sat down next to her. "Yes. You're name is Tohru Honda. You fell into the river last night. You live with us in Shigure's house in the Sohma estate."  
  
She quietly looked at him for a moment. "You're my brother, aren't you?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"I remembered a boy with orange hair, my brother. And a boy with purple eyes. He called my his sweet Yuri." She paused before continuing. "That was him, wasn't it? That boy who ran away."  
  
"You don't remember Yuki?"  
  
"Yuki?"  
  
He sighed, "I'm Kyo, and that was Yuki. You two are in love with each other."  
  
** Author's Note ** Sorry you guys. Short chapter and it took forever for me to post. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with the story and it feels like I'm fighting it. *sweatdrops* Then I was reading one of my fave stories and reviewed that they should update more often and I totally felt like I was being rude. So after rereading the last couple chapters an idea came to me. ^_^ Yey! So I think I have caught the plot bunny, and I'm not letting go of it now. I hope to update again as soon as I can, but it might be hard because we're on the last month of school and finals are starting to pour it. Wish me luck! 


	12. Home Again

Chapter 12 Home Again  
  
"In—in love with each other?"  
  
Kyo nodded, he couldn't believe he was having to explain this to her.  
  
A couple tears fell from her face, "I'm so sorry. I must have hurt him so deeply... I didn't know... I didn't..."  
  
He cut her off, "Don't worry about it Tohru. Yuki will understand when we explain it to him. I think he's just overly upset that he couldn't help you the other day."  
  
She nodded quietly in thought. Would she ever remember this Yuki that she loved? Or the two others they had mentioned, Kagura and Shigure. Who were they?  
  
"You don't remember anything, do you? About the Sohmas," he dropped his voice, "and about the curse?"  
  
"What curse?" she asked equally quiet.  
  
Kyo frowned for a moment. Maybe he shouldn't tell her. She could be happier this way, couldn't she? Most people were happier having never known the Sohmas... But of course Tohru wasn't like everyone else. She had seen his true form and still smiled at him.  
  
He couldn't leave this up to himself. He would have to take this to Shigure and Hatori. "Never mind for right now. We need to get you home."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Kagura caught up with Yuki, who had stopped to sit on a rock. He was nearly in tears.  
  
"Yuki?"  
  
"She doesn't remember Kagura. She doesn't remember me."  
  
She took Yuki into a tight embrace. "I'm sure she does deep down. She might have lost her memories from falling in the river, but I'm sure that we can get them back."  
  
"And if they don't come back? I can't live without her anymore Kagura. I love her. I couldn't stand it if she didn't love me anymore."  
  
"I'm sure it will just take some time. Now, let's go get Kyo and Tohru and go home. Okay?"  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Yuri? I'm sorry, it's Tohru, isn't it?" Kyoji said coming out of the tent with a couple of the others peeking out behind him.  
  
Tohru nodded silently. Kyo looked between the two of them and said, "I'll let you say your goodbyes Tohru." He walked back to the path they had came from and met up with Kagura and Yuki.  
  
"Are you sure you'll be okay walking back? I mean your ankle might still..."  
  
"It will be fine Kyoji. Thank you all for everything," she said smiling.  
  
Kyoji moved closer to her, "Yur... Tohru. I wish you didn't have to leave. I've really enjoyed spending time with you. I think I'm—"  
  
Yuki coming over and carefully picking up Tohru, then turning and walking away with her awkwardly in his arms cut Kyoji off. Kyo and Kagura followed behind, no one giving the strangers another word.  
  
When they were out of sight from the small campsite Kyo finally spoke, "Maybe you should put Tohru down Yuki. You don't want to transform, do you?"  
  
Yuki stopped and looked at him, "What?"  
  
Kyo sighed, "She doesn't remember anything Yuki. She doesn't remember the curse..."  
  
"Tohru... is that true?"  
  
"Yes... Yuki, right?"  
  
He nodded setting her down. "Can you walk? I noticed your ankle was hurt."  
  
"Yes, it's much better." She bowed deeply, "I'm so sorry Yuki. I don't remember about this curse you keep talking about, or about..." she paused for a moment. "Or about us..."  
  
He didn't want to face it, but it was staring him right in the face. What was he suppose to do?  
  
"I want to! If you just please..."  
  
Yuki put his fingers to Tohru's lips to silence her. "It's not your fault. We should get home. I'm sure that Shigure and Ayame are worried by now. Especially if Kagura didn't leave them any food."  
  
The boar turned bright red at this. She had totally forgot about the 'adults' and cleaned up all of the food from breakfast.  
  
The group walked the rest of the way home in silence. Kyo held Kagura's hand for comfort. He still couldn't believe that Tohru remembered him and not Yuki... Surely he couldn't tell Yuki this; it would break his heart even more. If only there was some way to get Tohru to remember...  
  
"Little brother!" Ayame called as they crossed the lawn. He was sitting on the porch with Shigure.  
  
Shigure jumped up as soon as he saw who was with them. "Tohru! You found her?"  
  
Yuki nodded, "Yes, some college students found her. She can't remember anything. Not even the curse."  
  
Kagura noticed that Yuki made no mention of her not remembering the two of them. He must be hurting so much, she thought.  
  
Shigure silently nodded, he understood. "Let's let it be for right now. I think a good meal would do us all some good."  
  
Kagura took Tohru's hand, "Do you want to help me Tohru?"  
  
Tohru smiled brightly, "Hai! I love cooking!"  
  
Together the two girls ran off for the kitchen leaving Shigure and Ayame with the two younger boys. Shigure sighed deeply. "She seems to have a vague memory of who she was, at least I think she does."  
  
"The boy who found her said that she had remembered a few things, but most things were vague."  
  
Shigure nodded and Yuki gave him a questioning look, "So do we tell her? About the curse I mean. She knew about it, if she saw us transform it might bring something back. But what if she's happier like this?"  
  
Shigure looked to Ayame and Ayame nodded at him. Shigure then turned to face Yuki. "I think that decision should be left up to you Yuki."  
  
** Author's Note ** Greetings all! I just want to thank all of my loyal reviewers and readers. *smiles* You guys really brighten my day when I get reviews about my stories. I can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter. Is good, no? Well, I think so. 


	13. The Curse

Chapter 13 The Curse  
  
Lunch was quiet and Tohru knew that it was only like this when something bad had happened. She frowned knowing that it was because of her that silence had covered the table.  
  
It was almost as though she were a burden to them. How could she have been so careless to fall into the river? And then today when was helping the girl, Kagura, fix lunch for the group she kept making mistakes. While Kagura had smiled, and told her it was okay, Tohru knew that it was annoying to the older girl.  
  
When Kagura asked Kyo to help her clean up the dishes Tohru knew that she had broken one too many dishes for the girl's liking. Ayame and Shigure went to finish something they had been doing in Ayame's room leaving Tohru and Yuki alone.  
  
She frowned again when Yuki sighed loudly. I really am a burden to them; maybe it would be better if I just left, Tohru thought to herself.  
  
"Let's go upstairs to our room," Yuki said standing up and holding out his hand to her. She nodded and rose to her feet.  
  
Yuki acted as if she was as delicate as glass and would break if she fell. He carefully helped her up the stairs even though she assured him that her foot was fine.  
  
The two of them slowly unpacked their things. When Tohru placed the picture of her mother on the nightstand, Yuki noticed a hurt look in her eyes. He wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if she was quietly talking to her mother as she often did.  
  
"Tohru-kun?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Is everything all right?"  
  
"Yeah, it's fine."  
  
He smiled softly, "You always were a horrible liar."  
  
Tohru giggled at this, "You're probably right."  
  
Yuki sat down on the edge of the bed and invited Tohru to do the same. "Tell me what's wrong."  
  
"I feel like I'm being a burden to all of you," she said sitting down.  
  
"No, you're never a burden to us. You are family after all."  
  
"I know that but I think I just annoyed Kagura today. I kept breaking dishes and I burned the first fish."  
  
Yuki smiled at her, "Is that what has you so upset? Kagura loves you Tohru. You're like a sister to her. And I'm sure that she knows you were only out of your element. It's a new kitchen, you have no idea where things are or go or how things work, and you did fall in the river the other day."  
  
She tried to smile, but had to frown at that last part. "And that too. How clueless could I be to fall into the river?"  
  
Yuki had to giggle. He had never thought that he would ever hear Tohru call herself clueless. "Well, you can be a bit..." He paused trying to find another word that would fit, but couldn't find one. "A bit clueless sometimes, but that's just who you are. We love you for that. I love you for that."  
  
Tohru blushed and quietly asked him to explain for her.  
  
"Explain why I love you?"  
  
"Ha-hai! It might bring back somemore of my memories."  
  
Yuki grinned, "All right, if the princess wishes it."  
  
This made Tohru blush a deeper shade of red.  
  
"Well, you're cute and compassionate. I always love to help you whenever you find something that you think is right and helpful. Like for the cultural festival. You wanted to help out so much that you made almost a hundred rice balls just to test flavors. I love how you are when you're out of your element, as well as in it. You look really cute when you get flustered, but I'm always in awe of you when I watch you cooking us dinner at home.  
  
"You always think of others before yourself. Your smile can light up a room, and you have an innocence about almost everything."  
  
Tohru smiled sweetly at him as he finished. He grinned at her, "So did you remember anything?"  
  
She twisted her face in thought, "I remember the cultural festival. That's when I met Mo..." She frowned trying to remember the name. "Momiji?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
She smiled brightly. "That's when I met Momiji, and the sempai dressed you up like a girl!"  
  
Yuki sweat dropped wondering why she had to remember that. "Do you remember anything else about the festival?"  
  
Tohru blushed this time, "You told me I was cute."  
  
Yuki smiled, "Hai. You are very cute."  
  
She only looked at her hands, her face red with embarrassment. Yuki thought that maybe she was more herself than she thought she was.  
  
"Tohru-kun?"  
  
"Hai Yuki-kun?"  
  
"Do you remember your mother?"  
  
"Yes, I do. I remember lots about her."  
  
"What about the stories she would tell you as a child?"  
  
Yuki knew that telling her about the curse might be the only way to bring Tohru back to her old self. Hopefully he could tell her in such a way that she wouldn't freak out too badly. Of course, she had taken it quite well last time.  
  
Part of him still felt like he was breaking Akito's wishes. But she had known about the curse before and he had agreed to let her stay with them. Surely it was all right then, wasn't it?  
  
"The one about the Chinese zodiac?"  
  
"Yes, do you remember the legend?"  
  
Tohru nodded, "The gods decided to hold a banquet for the animals to be in the zodiac. However the rat played a prank on the cat and told him that the feast was the day after it really was. So then all the animals except for the cat went to the banquet while the cat was home dreaming of the feast that wouldn't be held the next day. And so because of that the cat cannot be part of the zodiac."  
  
Yuki smiled at her, "Yes, that's exactly it."  
  
"Can I ask you a question Yuki?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Why did you want to know if I knew the legend of the zodiac?"  
  
"Well, there's a reason that your mother told you story as a child."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Hai. You see your mother fell in love with a member of the Sohma family, however the Sohma carries a very heavy curse upon it."  
  
Tohru looked as though she were going to panic at any moment. "Aren't you all Sohmas?"  
  
"Hai. Now, only certain members of the family carry the curse. Some of those members are Shigure, Kagura, Ayame, Hatori, Momiji, Haru, Kyo, and..."  
  
Tohru cut Yuki off before he could finish. "My brother's cursed?"  
  
"Yes, Kyo is one of the members of the family that carries the curse."  
  
Her eyes were wide with fright. "You're not trying to tell me that I'm cursed, are you Yuki? Kyo's not hurt or anything like that, is he? It can be fixed, can't it?"  
  
Yuki sweat dropped, "Slow down Tohru. One question at a time. Kyo is fine, just like all the other members. They live a fairly normal life. We're not sure if the curse can be lifted, and no you're not cursed Tohru. I am."  
  
"You are?"  
  
"Yes, would you like me to show you Tohru?"  
  
"Will it hurt?"  
  
He smiled, "Not one bit."  
  
"O—okay," she said nodding.  
  
Yuki pulled her into a tight embrace for a spilt second before the puff of smoke covered them.  
  
"Yuki?!?"  
  
"I'm all right Tohru. It's fine."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
When the smoke cleared Tohru saw a small mouse sitting next to her.  
  
"Right here," the mouse said.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Are you okay Yuki? What happened?"  
  
"I'm fine Tohru. This is the curse of the Sohmas."  
  
"You turn into mice?"  
  
"No, no. The angry spirits of the Chinese zodiac curses us. I'm cursed by the year of the rat, Kagura's the boar, Shigure the dog, Ayame the snake, Haru the cow, Momiji the rabbit, and Kyo is the cat."  
  
"The cat?"  
  
"Hai. Whenever we're hugged by a member of the opposite sex who isn't cursed, or when our bodies have a lot of stress put on them we transform into animals of the zodiac."  
  
"Oh my... That sounds horrible!"  
  
Yuki nodded, "But we can live normal lives, except that many times the cursed members never fall in love or get married. Most of the family doesn't know about the curse, and if an outsider ever learned of the secret their memories would be erased of that time."  
  
Tohru nodded, "So they never fall in love because they're afraid of the secret getting out."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Did I know about the curse before..." Tohru trailed off.  
  
"Yes, you learned about the curse a few days after moving in with us, but Akito let you keep your memories and stay with us. We only found out a little while ago that you were also a Sohma. And yes, you knew that I was cursed before we fell in love with each other."  
  
Tohru blushed, it seemed so childish to have to have him explain all of this to her.  
  
"Has anything come back to you?"  
  
"I remember about when I first found out about the curse," she smiled. "You told me that Hatori might have to erase my memory, but I didn't care. I just wanted you to be my friend, because even then I was in love with you Yuki."  
  
Yuki blushed a bright red. He couldn't believe that the quiet girl who he had never talked to before she showed up on his doorstep had been in love with him. Most of the other girls who cared for him had told him straight to his face, but Tohru had kept it all to herself.  
  
"Do you remember what happened just before spring? With Kyo?"  
  
"What happened to Kyo?"  
  
"Because Kyo is cursed by the cat he carries a heavier curse."  
  
MoonHawke: Greetings again! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Sister Sohma!  
  
Kyo: Do you have any idea how dumb that title is?  
  
MoonHawke: *frowns* What do you mean?  
  
Kyo: Well I mean jeez, you pretty much explain what's going to happen and it just sounds stupid.  
  
MoonHawke: Well, it was the only thing that fit the story. *eyes well with tears* I'm sorry if it's not good enough for you.  
  
Tohru: Kyo! You're going to make her cry.  
  
Yuki: You shouldn't bad mouth her Kyo; she is the author and the one who pays you.  
  
Kyo: *grumbles* Stupid rat.  
  
Yuki: The title's fine MoonHawke, don't listen to him. You know he's just a dumb cat, what do they know?  
  
Kyo: Hey! I heard that.  
  
Yuki: Good, now I don't have to repeat myself.  
  
Kagura: Can you two stop fighting? We have questions to answer, don't we?  
  
MoonHawke: Let me check. *goes through the mailbox* We've got a few.  
  
Momiji: Read one! Read one! *bounces around happily*  
  
MoonHawke: Let's see... *ruffles through the mail* Okay here's one. Kate writes "Yay! Kyoji and Tohru would make a cute couple! (Please include the college students in the story!). P.S. Yuri is such a cute name!"  
  
Tohru: *smiles* We had a lot of fun working with Kyoji and the others. They were all very nice and enjoyed helping us out.  
  
Yuki: However, I don't think all the readers would have been happy if Tohru had picked Kyoji over me. This is a Yukiru isn't it?  
  
MoonHawke: Hai! I don't know if Kyoji and his friends will be back in later chapters, but we'll see what happens.  
  
Shigure: Yuri means Lily, if you guys didn't get that before.  
  
MoonHawke: I think they did, I explained it when Yuki and Tohru were buying seeds.  
  
Kagura: She's right. But Yuri is a Japanese name, so that part wasn't made up.  
  
Momiji: *tugs on MoonHawke's sleeve* MoonHawke?  
  
MoonHawke: Yeah Momiji?  
  
Momiji: Isn't that one of your character names?  
  
MoonHawke: *laughs* Yes, I got the name so stuck in my head that I made one of my characters in my series named Yuri. But we're not talking about that. Anyway, thank you for your review Kate. I'm happy that it did come across that Kyoji liked Yuri, I wasn't sure if I made it very clear because I was trying to be subtle about it.  
  
Shigure: Puppies!  
  
Kyo: *rolls his eyes*  
  
Ayame: Hey MoonHawke, where's the pizza?  
  
MoonHawke: It should be here any minute.  
  
Momiji: Next review! Next review!  
  
MoonHawke: Okay, hold on. *returns to digging through the e-mails* Monica writes, "You broke Tohru! Fix her! You broke her, you did! Why didn't Yuki say anything when they called Tohru Yuri? Didn't he understand what was going on?"  
  
Tohru: *laughs* Don't worry, I'm not broken. All my memories will come back in a chapter or two, so just wait a bit longer. All right? Do you want to finish off the rest of that one?  
  
Kyo: Why is it always that stupid rat?  
  
Yuki: It isn't always me.  
  
Kyo: Yes it is! You answer all of the questions and I haven't even gotten one yet! *turns to MoonHawke* And how come he has a bigger part than I do?!?!  
  
MoonHawke: Because I like him better than you. *sticks out her tongue*  
  
Kyo: *steams*  
  
Yuki: All right, if you're done now I'll answer Monica's question. I didn't say anything because I was just a little angry.  
  
Kagura: Try a lot.  
  
Yuki: Okay, fine. I was really P.O.ed because 'Yuri' was supposed to be my pet name for Tohru. I think anyone would get annoyed if they saw their boy or girlfriend with another guy or girl and heard them calling them the pet name that you gave them. Sound fair?  
  
Tohru: I think so!  
  
MoonHawke: Great! Okay, this is the last one we have for this chapter. Nina writes, "Kyo, are you going to go out with Kagura? And if not, will you go out with me? Tohru get your fricking act together and remember Yuki!!!! Are you a vegetarian Tohru? Kyoji if you ever go near Tohru again Monica and I will kill you. And it will be a horrible, horrible death. We will beat you with your arms."  
  
Kyo: I am not going out with Kagura ever!  
  
Kagura: But Kyo!  
  
Kyo: And I will not go out with you!  
  
Kagura: Another rival! *glares daggers at Nina and grabs hold of Kyo's arm so tight that it starts to turn blue*  
  
Kyo: Kagura!  
  
Ayame: *laughs* I think that's a big no Nina. Sorry, but I'm always free. *winks*  
  
Shigure: Hey! Learn to share Ayame!  
  
Tohru: *bows deeply* Gomen nasai Nina, but you'd have to talk to MoonHawke about that. It is her story after all, but like I said before, I will be getting my memory back in the next chapter or two, so just hold on a bit longer.  
  
Kagura: Why won't you go out with me Kyo?  
  
Kyo: Because I hate you!  
  
Kagura: But why Kyo!?!?  
  
MoonHawke: *rolls her eyes, then snaps her fingers and Kyo is gagged and tied up in a flash*  
  
Kyo: *mumbles something*  
  
Kagura: Yey! Thanks MoonHawke!  
  
MoonHawke: Anytime, just go and get a room, all right?  
  
Kagura: No problem. *drags Kyo off*  
  
Kyo: Ammmm!!!  
  
Tohru: *giggles* Okay, and no I am not a vegetarian. This may be kind of confusing in the anime and manga because I really only talk about fruits and vegetables that I like, but fish is also one of my favorite foods. I think it would be pretty hard to be a vegetarian in Japan because we eat meat at every meal.  
  
MoonHawke: *laughs* And Kate, I think Nina summed up why Kyoji would never end up with Tohru. I fear for my life if I did. *smiles* Sorry. Okay, well that's all the time we have for now.  
  
Shigure: Liar! You ran out of comments and questions.  
  
MoonHawke: *blushes* Okay, yeah I did, but I think 3 is still pretty good for the first time. So I wanna hear from you all!  
  
*doorbell rings somewhere in the distance*  
  
Shigure: Puppies! Oops! I mean pizza! *runs off*  
  
MoonHawke: See you next chapter!  
  
Tohru: *waves* Bye!  
  
Yuki: Good day all.  
  
Shigure: *mumbles something through the pizza*  
  
Pizza dude: *stares in horror at Shigure* Umm.. dude, I need my money...  
  
MoonHawke: Coming! Hold on... Bye everyone! *runs off to pay the pizza dude* 


	14. Memory Matters

-- Author's Note -- Sorry all, more stuff came up then I thought it would and I've been running around trying to find a job for the summer. Also I was having a bad case of writer's block, so combine that and having not watched Fruba for almost a month because my friends had borrowed the DVDs, so I was kinda stuck on the how the characters would act. grins Well, there's my big secret on how I keep everyone so close to their character. I just watch/read the anime repeatedly throughout the time I'm writing. It keeps everything fresh, you know? So anyway here's the chapter I promised you and I'll try to update as soon as possible.  
  
Chapter 14 Memory Matters  
  
Long into the night Yuki told Tohru everything he could think of to tell her. He talked about Kyo's curse, school, and so many other things he couldn't remember half of them when he noticed that Tohru had fallen asleep sitting next to him.  
  
He smiled softly at her and then carefully picked her up and put her in her bed. "Good night my sweet princess," he whispered kissing her on the forehead.  
  
Yuki didn't sleep that night. He sat up watching over Tohru, afraid that if he closed his eyes for too long that she would disappear again.  
  
Sometime around dawn Yuki had fallen asleep sitting against the wall facing the bed. "Yuki-kun? Are you awake?" Tohru whispered as she poked him gently. She had woken up to find him sleeping on the floor and was now kneeling next to him.  
  
"Hmm?" Yuki mumbled opening his eyes slightly. Tohru was leaning over him and her nightgown was falling open a small bit. Yuki's nose burst into bleeding and he fell sideways before transforming. He had seen...!  
  
Tohru giggled at him, completely unaware of what had caused him to react that way. Instead of worrying about it she picked up the mouse and nuzzled him. "You're soooo cute!"  
  
"Gomen Tohru I didn't mean to!"  
  
"It's not your fault that you transformed. Besides, you're cute this way too."  
  
"No I mean, I saw—but I didn't mean to look!"  
  
"Saw what?"  
  
Yuki sweat dropped. If she didn't know it was best not to tell her, less she freak out. "Never mind, it's nothing."  
  
"Okay! I think the others are awake. Shall we go downstairs and see what's for breakfast?"  
  
"Hai. I'll go sit under the bed while you change, okay?"  
  
Tohru nodded and set the mouse down before going over to the dresser. Yuki dashed under the bed and began to sniff around. Something smelled interesting under here. After a moment he spotted what it was.  
  
He frowned thinking that Shigure must have put them in here in hopes of starting something. That stupid dog!  
  
"Yuki-kun, I'm finished."  
  
He crawled out from under the bed and looked up at her. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress and had tied her hair into two braids. "You look beautiful."  
  
Tohru blushed and picked him up. "Thank you," she giggled before giving him a kiss on the nose.  
  
It was at that moment that Yuki turned back and a puff of smoke surrounded them as they kissed deeply. Tohru placed her hand on his shoulder and then jumped back, covering her eyes, just then remembering that he was nude.  
  
"Gomen! Gomen nasai!"  
  
"It's all right Tohru. You can turn around now."  
  
Tohru peeked between her fingers and saw that he was fully dressed in simple grey pants with a pale Chinese style shirt. She took her hand away and smiled.  
  
"Now, let's go see what's for breakfast," he said taking her hand and leading her downstairs.  
  
The couple found the table filled with food and Kagura in the kitchen with Kyo.  
  
"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Tohru called to them and they turned and smiled at them.  
  
"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" Kagura asked.  
  
"Hai! Everything smells so good!"  
  
"Thanks! The rice will be ready in a minute. Why don't you go and get Shigure and Ayame, Kyo?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," the cat said before leaving.  
  
Tohru and Yuki sat down next to each other at the table while Kagura brought in the bowl of steaming rice.  
  
"Itadakimasu!" everyone said after they had sat down before digging in.  
  
"This is great Kagura," Yuki told her.  
  
"Thanks! Kyo helped out a lot."  
  
"So did you two sleep well?" Shigure asked Yuki and Tohru giving only the slightest hint at something dirty.  
  
"I slept very well Shigure-san," Tohru said, and then frowned. "But poor Yuki-kun fell asleep on the floor."  
  
Ayame giggled, "Did she kick you out of bed Yuki?"  
  
"No, I was being a gentlemen, something neither you, nor Shigure, will be," Yuki said getting slightly annoyed.  
  
"Aww, don't be mad Yuki," Shigure said before leaning in close to him. "Did you find the things I left for you and Tohru?"  
  
"I don't think that was appropriate Shigure. Nothing like that will be going on. Now if you don't mind, I would kindly ask you to stay out of mine and Tohru's rooms."  
  
Shigure only giggled.  
  
"Oh, before we forget Gure."  
  
Shigure nodded, now getting serious. "After breakfast we need you all to pack up, we're going to head home early."  
  
"What? Why?" Kagura asked.  
  
"Because we called Hatori last night and he thinks it would be best if he looked at Tohru to make sure she's not hurt. Is that okay?"  
  
"Hai, that's fine. Are you finished Tohru?" Yuki asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm stuffed!"  
  
"Okay, let's go get our things together then."  
  
A few hours later the group arrived at the main house. "Is it always this quiet?" Tohru asked.  
  
"Sometimes, I think a lot of the families are out visiting other relatives right now," Ayame told her.  
  
Tohru nodded and held closer to Yuki's hand. The quietness was a bit unnerving.  
  
"Kyo, Kagura, you two don't have to stick around if you want. We can go and get something to drink from the store," Ayame offered.  
  
"All right, that's sounds good," Kagura agreed.  
  
Kagura, Kyo, and Ayame headed off back towards the gate while Tohru, Yuki, and Shigure headed inside the building where Hatori stayed.  
  
"Tori! We're here!" Shigure called out.  
  
"Must you be so loud?"  
  
"No, I guess not," Shigure told Hatori with a grin on his face.  
  
"I'm sure. Now, right this way." Hatori lead them inside and had them sit down on a small couch. "So tell me what happened."  
  
Yuki explained the whole thing to Hatori while Tohru seemed to space out.  
  
"So she remembers some things, but only from when she was little?"  
  
"Hai. We don't know what to make of it."  
  
"First things first. We'll check out her ankle to make sure it's nothing too bad. We'll probably just need to wrap it up for a few more days. Then I'll see if I can figure anything out."  
  
Tohru's ankle seemed to be healing fine, but Hatori wrapped it just to be sure that it would finish healing properly. Then he checked everything he could think of. Tohru seemed fine in everyway.  
  
"So nothing's wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing."  
  
"Then why can't she remember anything?"  
  
"It was probably caused by the trauma most likely. We can only guess in cases like this. For all we know it wasn't simply the fact that she fell into the river but that maybe when she was smaller someone threw her into the river or tried to drown her. I'm not saying that's what happened, but like I said, we can only guess."  
  
"Will she ever get her memory back?"  
  
"It's possible, but hard to say. There are so many different cases of things like this happening. One boy reverted and thought that he was a child again; another girl thought that she was someone else completely. And of course quite a few forgot everything. Some of them did regain their memories, but it's hard to say."  
  
"Do you think she will remember anything?"  
  
"Honestly, I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see." 


	15. Normal As Normal Can Be

Chapter 15 Normal As Normal Can Be  
  
For the rest of the week Yuki and Kyo did everything they could think of to get Tohru's memory back. They showed her pictures, took her for walks around town, told her stories, but no matter what they did Tohru could only remember small bits of her life.  
  
Shigure offered to help in his own way for about the hundredth time on Friday, but the two boys knew what he meant and flat out refused him.  
  
"I'm only doing this to help Tohru-kun!"  
  
"No! You're doing it because you're a dirty old man!" Kyo yelled at him.  
  
"Then what other ideas do you suggest Kyo-Kyo?"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME KYO-KYO!!!"  
  
Yuki sighed aloud, as much as he enjoyed Shigure picking on Kyo; this was not the time to be doing so.  
  
"Maybe we could take her over to Uo-chan or Hana-chan's. It's possible that one of them might have some idea that we haven't tried," he offered, trying to stop the fighting.  
  
"Go and see the Yankee and the freaky electric girl? Are you nuts?"  
  
"They're her friends, baka neko. They could help. Besides that they're going to have to find out sooner or later. It's better now, so that they have the weekend to think things over instead of lashing out on Monday in school."  
  
"You're just saying that because you're afraid that they're going to kill you for hurting Tohru like you promised you wouldn't!"  
  
"No one asked you, you baka neko! And Shigure was there too."  
  
"Psstt. Like he would have been any help."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Shut up!" the two of them yelled at the dog.  
  
"What's going on?" Tohru asked peeking her head into the room.  
  
"I'm sorry Tohru-kun. Did we wake you?" Yuki asked getting up.  
  
Kyo glared at him as he walked over to go and see to Tohru. He had barely left her side all week, and what was worse if he ever started a fight and Tohru showed up, that damn Yuki would blow him off to go and make sure that she was okay. She lost her memory, not her ability to take care of herself, Kyo thought.  
  
"It's all right. It was time for me to get up anyway. What are you fighting about?"  
  
"Oh, nothing important. Listen, how would you like to go and see Uo and Hana-chan?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Okay! Let me go and get dressed!"  
  
Tohru rushed up stairs and Yuki turned back to Shigure and Kyo who were still sitting at the table.  
  
"Must you treat her like a child?" Kyo asked, quite annoyed.  
  
"Kyo! She's a delicate flower and must be treated as such!"  
  
"Whatever you pervert."  
  
Half an hour later the trio headed over to Uo-chan's. Kyo knocked loudly on the door. Much to their surprise Hanajima answered the door.  
  
"Hana-chan!" Tohru said.  
  
"Tohru, how wonderful to see you all. Please come inside, we were just sitting down for tea."  
  
Tohru followed Hana inside with Kyo and Yuki behind her. She smiled sweetly and greeted Uo-chan happily.  
  
"Yo. What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing much, we just decided to stop by for a visit before school tomorrow," Yuki said.  
  
Hana-chan looked him over and then Tohru. She was no doubt reading their electric signals. "Are you all right Tohru?"  
  
"Yes, I'm quite fine. Yuki and Kyo have been taking extra good care of me this week," she said helping herself to a sweet bun.  
  
Hanajima turned to Yuki with a questioning look. "Did something happen?"  
  
"It's that dumb rat's fault, I want no part in the blame here," Kyo growled before taking a sip of his tea.  
  
"She's not hurt. Not really I mean," Yuki started trying to save some face.  
  
Uo-chan looked up at Yuki now. "What happened?"  
  
So for the second time that week Yuki told the story of what happened during the few days at Ayame's lake house. "Hatori says that she's completely fine... except that she can't remember a lot of things."  
  
"Why didn't you save her?" Uo asked gripping her cup dangerously tight.  
  
"I wanted too, but Shigure stopped me for jumping in after her. He said I would do Tohru no good getting myself hurt." Yuki looked down into his cup and stared at his tea. He had been kicking himself for not doing something all week and now this just made it worse.  
  
"It's not your fault," Hana said quietly. "It could have happened to anyone, but Tohru's not hurt and that's all that matters."  
  
The group talked while they drank their tea, then played a game of Rich Man, Poor Man. At least until Kyo started a fight by claiming that Yuki was cheating. It was then that the trio decided that it was time that they should be going home.  
  
"Good bye Hana-chan, Uo-chan! We'll see you tomorrow!" Tohru called as they waved.  
  
The next morning Yuki woke up and groaned. How could it be Monday already? It seemed like they had just started their break and now it was over. He took his hand off of his eyes and stared at the ceiling. They had to go back to school today. He could only hope that his fan girls had cooled off about the whole thing with Tohru.  
  
She already had enough on her plate to deal with without them brothering her too. It might be best if they went in early to talking with the teacher about what happened. Maybe Shigure should come with too. He was supposed to be the adult in the household.  
  
Yuki groaned again. There was just too much to think about lately. He covered his eyes with his hands again. He just wanted to block out the world.  
  
"What is that smell?" Yuki asked himself sitting up now. Kyo had only cooked a few times during the past week, but this smelled nothing like what Kyo would ever make.  
  
Yuki got up quickly and changed into his uniform before hurrying downstairs to see if maybe Kagura had come over before heading to school.  
  
"Good morning Yuki!"  
  
Yuki stopped dead in the kitchen doorway. Tohru stood over the stove in her apron cooking what looked like to be the feast of a lifetime.  
  
"Tohru-kun?"  
  
She smiled sweetly at him. "Good morning, don't look so surprised."  
  
"But-but..." Tohru hadn't cooked since that last day at the lake house. She was too afraid of breaking Shigure's dishes.  
  
"Sit down, everything will be ready in a minute. We're going to need our strength if those fan girls of yours are still mad, right?" she laughed now.  
  
"You remember about what happened last week?"  
  
"Of course! I don't blame you though Yuki. It's not your fault that they said mean things, but it's quite all right. Like I told you before, Kyo stopped them."  
  
She walked over and took his hand in hers. "Come on now, sit down and I'll get the food," she said leading him back into the main room.  
  
And so just like that it was as if the past week had never happened. Tohru had woken up her old self with no memory of having lost her memories at all. Things returned to normal at the Sohma house and school. After a couple weeks Yuki's fan girls gave up on picking on Tohru and things went back to how they were before everything had gone wrong. The only thing that had changed was the fact that Yuki and Tohru had found each other, and no matter what they were never letting go.  
  
-- THE END --  
  
A/N Well, that's it. I thank all of you for reading and of course putting up with my late updating. I will probably be taking a break from Fru-ru-ba fanfics for a bit until another idea strikes and you never know when that will be. Again I must tell you how sorry I am. This chapter was harder to write then I thought it would be. I wanted to try and make it as long as most of the other chapters but not bog it down with new info. Sorry if the ending is a bit lame, but I think it sums things up fairly well. In case you are wondering, yes this can happen when people do lose their memories. One day they can just wake up and not remember anything about having lost their memory in the first place. It might takes days or months, but it does happen. Thank you again and I look forward to more fanfics in the days to come. 


End file.
